25K gallons of wastewater spilled Wednesday in Beaufort neighborhood. What happened
An estimated 25,000 gallons of wastewater were released from a force main into the salt marsh Wednesday afternoon in Beaufort, according to a Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority news release Thursday.
Around 2 p.m., staff from the authority found the wastewater flowing into the salt marsh on Roseida Road, nearby County Shed Road.
Corrosion caused the failure of the force main that runs under the tidal creek upstream of Albergotti Creek, the authority said. Force mains are pipelines that move wastewater under pressure from the discharge side of a pump or pneumatic ejector to a discharge point, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
By 6 p.m., the sewage overflow had stopped.
BJWSA notified the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and posted signs at the location of the release and at the Spanish Moss Trail at Albergotti Creek to let the public know about the wastewater spill and to tell people not to fish or swim in the area until the area is cleaned up.
Wastewater overflows of more than 5,000 gallons of untreated or partially treated domestic sewage “could cause” a serious adverse impact on the environment or public health, according to SCDHEC’s website.
“We don’t expect any negative effects to the salt marsh and the SSO (Sanitary Sewer Overflow) does not pose any significant threat to public health,” said Pam Flasch, BJWSA director of public affairs.
Most recently, in February, about 45,000 gallons of wastewater were released from a gravity main in Bluffton. That spill, in the Farm neighborhood, did not impact the water system in the area.
Last year, a half-million-gallon spill happened in Beaufort. In January 2022, an estimated 500,000 gallons of sewage spilled from a sewer main into a tidal ditch that leads to Battery Creek in Beaufort. The spill occurred near the intersection of Parris Island Gateway and the Savannah Highway and prompted an immediate closure of shellfish harvest beds.
The Wednesday afternoon wastewater overflow in Roseida Road neighborhood has not caused those types of impacts. The force main is up and running again and the drinking water system was not impacted, Flasch confirmed.
The authority delivers about 10 million gallons of wastewater each day to eight wastewater treatment facilities for treatment and disposal. For any suspected or seen sewer collection system spills, call BJWSA at 843-987-9200.
This story was originally published April 27, 2023 at 4:10 PM.
