Contractor for Cable TV Company Struck 12” Force Main Yesterday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Mike McGill
Cell: (910) 622-8472
mike.mcgill@cfpua.org
This news release was issued on February 15, 2017, in compliance with North Carolina General Statute 143-251.1C (a portion of the Clean Water Act of 1999). For further information, contact Mike McGill, Chief Communications Officer for Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA), at the contact number and email given above.
Wilmington, NC (February 15, 2017): Yesterday afternoon, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) crews responded to a sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) involving the 12” Castle Hayne Force Main at a location near the intersection of Blossom Street and Hickory Street in the town of Castle Hayne. The SSO occurred when a contractor for a cable TV company struck the force main during boring operations. Upon arriving on the scene, CFPUA crews stopped the flow by shutting down multiple pump stations and closing valves in coordination with Pender County until the repair was completed. CFPUA also conducted pump-and-haul operations to minimize service disruptions and environmental impacts.
The SSO is considered to have started at approximately 2 p.m. on Tuesday, February 14, with the stoppage being completed at nearly 3 p.m. on Tuesday, February 14. Approximately 3,000 gallons of wastewater flowed into a ditch that serves as a tributary to Prince George’s Creek. Water quality testing was conducted by CFPUA staff at the direction of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
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Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) was formed by the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County to combine their water and sewer operations. It began operations on July 1, 2008. Today, the Authority serves more than 67,000 water customer accounts and more than 63,000 wastewater customer accounts. It oversees more than 1,000 miles of water distribution mains and nearly 1,000 miles of sewer mains. For more information, visit www.cfpua.org or contact CFPUA’s Communications staff at communications@cfpua.org.