Around 2:30 p.m. Monday, February 21, an 8-inch pipe conveying water treatment residuals from the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant to the Northside Wastewater Treatment Plant was severed by construction crews working for the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
Known as “sludge,” these residuals are mostly water, along with particulate material removed from Cape Fear River water during the treatment process. The break occurred in a section of the pipe under Smith Creek below the bridge on Cornelius Harnett Drive, which is being replaced by a contractor for NCDOT.
Initial estimates indicate 7,650 gallons of residuals entered Smith Creek. After the break, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality was notified. CFPUA staff at Sweeney stopped pumping residuals through the pipe and began storing it in tanks at the plant while a temporary truck hauling operation is being set up.