With hurricane season quickly approaching, the 2018 season caused major havoc on sewer lines across Greensboro. More than 3.5 million gallons of untreated sewage was released onto roads and into waterways, which led to 64 untreated sewage discharges.
So far, 2019 has seen 13 sewage discharges with 10 alone in January. These 13 sewage discharges included more than 21,000 gallons of untreated sewage.
There are more than 1,600 miles of sewer lines and around 40,000 manholes in Greensboro. The 64 incidents and 3.5 million gallons of discharges that occurred in 2018 were high than 2017, which saw only 51 discharges and 91,000 gallons. The year 2016 saw even fewer with 41 discharges and 794,000 gallons. Almost a quarter of the discharges in 2018 were the cause of grease buildup in the sewer lines. The second and third most frequent causes were debris and roots.
Per North Carolina state law, it is required that overflows of more than 1,000 gallons must be reported within 24 hours and for overflows that get into waterways – regardless of how much spillage – they have to be reported within 24 hours.
While hurricane season is a cause for concern, there are other environmental impacts of sewage to worry about such as hypoxia, algal blooms, habitat degradation and impacts to wildlife. Raw sewage contains disease-causing pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and protozoa which can cause illnesses such as the stomach flu.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 – November 1 and in 2018 the largest issues occurred in September and October due in large part to massive amounts of rainfall caused by Hurricanes Florence and Michael. While North Carolina’s infrastructure is old, it’s certainly not the oldest in the nation.
The state has documented a need of more than $4 billion of additional wastewater infrastructure investment needs through 2030. These funds are critically necessary to replace aging facilities, comply with mandated Clean Water Act regulations and provide as well as keep pace with economic development.
Many people don’t even consider the aging infrastructure and what it takes to maintain it. If you are a homeowner, business owner or municipality looking for information on protecting, lining and repairing pipes, or for the nearest installer, contact Perma-Liner™ today.
Perma-Liner is the leading manufacturer and supplier of trenchless pipeline rehabilitation equipment and materials in North America. For 20 years, we have developed systems to rehabilitate existing sewer systems without excavation. Our experience in the CIPP industry has allowed us to design, patent and manufacture state of the art technology in order for us to repair structures without excavation.
