Another 70,000 gallons of wastewater spills in Bluffton. Here’s what happened this time
A second major wastewater spill in less than a month has occurred in Bluffton.
Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority (BJWSA) estimates that 70,000 gallons of wastewater was released west of the intersection of Highway 170 and Bluffton Parkway on Wednesday.
Previous damage to a force main resulted in a rupture, BJWSA said.
The overflow began at approximately 6:30 a.m. BJWSA crews responded and the overflow was stopped by 9 a.m.
Crews were expected to have the 16-inch collection main back in service Wednesday night.
The wastewater flowed toward a retention pond and wooded area east of Pickett Mill Boulevard, said Jeff La Rue, a BJWSA spokesman.
BJWSA says it has notified the S.C. Department of Environmental Services and is now working to address any effects caused by the overflow.
An estimated 100,000 gallons of wastewater was released from a failed force main near the intersection of Burnt Church Road and Ann Smith Drive in Bluffton on April 18.
That intersection is about 5 miles east of Highway 170 and Bluffton Parkway, where the most recent spill occurred.
That 16-inch diameter pipe was corroding from the inside and gave way, La Rue said at the time. That resulted in a hole about the size of a baseball and a “short-lived” geyser of wastewater that reached about 12 to 15 feet in the air.
Beaufort County made the surprise announcement Thursday morning that restroom facilities at the popular Broad River Landing Boat Landing and Fishing Pier along the Broad River Bridge near Beaufort and Port Royal was closing due to a broken BJWSA line..
On Monday, JBWSA announced it had fixed the sewer line serving the public restroom.
Wastewater includes human waste, food scraps, oils, soaps and chemicals from sinks, showers, bathtubs, toilets, washing machines and dishwashers. Businesses and industries also contribute used water that must be cleaned.
BJWSA’s collection collection system an average of 10 million gallons of wastewater daily to eight facilities for treatment and disposal.
