Mecklenburg sewage spills add to pollution load Helene washed into Catawba River
Heavy rain from Helene caused more than a quarter million gallons of sewage to spill from Mecklenburg County's wastewater treatment system and into the Catawba River basin.
At least that's the official estimate the city gave the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.
The real amount of waste was likely much bigger, said Rusty Rozzelle, water quality program manager for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services, a partnership between the city and county that oversees drainage and water quality.
The county's drinking water supply is safe. But the environment took a hit, and it will take some weeks to assess the toll, Rozzelle said.
And it is not just what leaked into the Catawba locally that Charlotte-area residents should be aware of, he said. They'll also have to grapple with any impacts from the debris, sewage and other contamination that washed into the river upstream, as far west as the Appalachian Mountains that will eventually float to Charlotte.
"This is by far and away the most devastation our waterways have experienced in modern history — both from a water quality and water quantity perspective," Rozzelle said.
When untreated sewage reaches a waterbody, bacteria, viruses, parasites, molds and fungi are released. Wading, swimming or ingesting contaminated water could lead to stomach cramps and diarrhea or even life-threatening ailments such as cholera and hepatitis, according to the Environmental Protection Agency .
Bacterial levels are usually highest immediately after contamination and when the rivers are running the fastest, said Mike O'Driscoll, a hydrologist and professor at East Carolina University.
The extra water dilutes the pollutants, he said, but some contaminants, such as nutrients and heavy metals, could be in the water for months.
Sewage spilled many places into the river
More than 1 million gallons of sewage leaked from collection systems within the North Carolina portion of the Catawba River basin, The Observer data analysis shows.
Northeast of Charlotte, some 309,000 gallons spilled from the Newton Collection System. Ninety-two thousand gallons spilled across the Catawba River in Gaston County. Sewage flowed into the Catawba River basin upstream from Mecklenburg and at three Charlotte Water Collection System locations after Helene roared across the Carolinas, state records show.
Mecklenburg County's largest untreated discharge was more than 224,000 gallons into Lake Wylie, with no specific utility facility identified in the data. Another 11,000 gallons flowed into Sugar Creek, which runs through the center of the city, and 1,500 gallons into Campbell Creek, on the city's west side, according to DEQ estimates.
The exact cause of the spills is unclear. When it comes to Charlotte Water, the public utility, floating debris can run into and break wastewater pipes that span creeks. Lift stations, pumping systems that move wastewater from lower elevations to higher ones, can overflow. And erosion can undermine underground pipes, said Cam Cooley, a utility spokesperson.
For those not linked to the utility, an influx of water can cause septic tank waste to back up into homes or leach into the soil, said O'Driscoll of East Carolina University.
Rozzelle said it would be two or three weeks before local officials even test water along the Catawba River. There is no need to test it now, he said. Officials know bacteria counts are "really high."
Helene pollution extends beyond local spills
The Charlotte area has weathered much larger sewage spills than the at least 236,000 gallons reported to have escaped during Helene, a Charlotte Observer analysis of state data found.
Charlotte's largest sewage leak happened in 2018 when heavy rains caused 15 million gallons to leak into Long Creek off Oakdale Road, northwest of uptown, The Observer found. That same year, another 2.6 million gallons flowed into Taggard Creek, east of Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
But what makes Helene's toll on the river so terrible was all the contamination between the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains in McDowell County, where the river starts, and here, Rozzelle said.
Much of that pollution will eventually make its way to Charlotte.
"There may have been larger spills in this county, but I think you have to look at everything upstream," he said.
s cause concern
Nancy Hiemstra's home overlooks Mountain Island Lake, where some of the area's worst flooding happened. She knows something changed after Helene. The lake smells, she said, and she's seen a film on its surface.
Since the storm, Hiemsrta, who is on city water, has filtered and boiled it before drinking, she told The Observer. Her home sits downstream of a number of spills, including the 309,000 gallons that spilled in Newton.
Treating water piped to homes by Charlotte Water is not necessary, Rozzelle said. The city is purifying that drinking water and, he stressed, it is safe to drink.
But the Catawba River is contaminated with sewage and other pollutants, Rozzelle acknowledged. In addition to sewage, manufacturing chemicals, gasoline, oil and heavy metals, some of which are carcinogenic, and even human remains were likely washed into it, he said.
The contamination shouldn't prevent residents from rebuilding. But it should prevent them from going into the water for now, he said.
"I would not be surprised if anything is floating in the water right now," Rozzelle said. "Some seen. Some unseen."
