Staff report
THOMASVILLE ó An EPA criminal investigation prompted Thomasville officials to suddenly revise a sewage report, indicating 15.93 million gallons of raw sewage entered Hamby Creek which is part of the Yadkin/Pee Dee River Basin.
Raw sewage poured into Hamby Creek for more than 20 days until it was discovered near Baptist Children’s Home Road. Hamby Creek empties into Abbott’s Creek and eventually High Rock Lake, one of the state’s largest recreational lakes and a drinking water supply for the town of Salisbury.
According to representatives of Yadkin Riverkeeper, Thomasville Public Services Director Morgan Huffman initially reported a sewage spill of only 385,000 gallons to the N.C. Division of Water Quality on Aug. 4 but amended the report on Aug. 8 when EPA Criminal Investigations Division made an unannounced visit to review plant data.
EPA officials conducted their investigation based on a report they received from Yadkin Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks on Aug. 28.
Naujoks received a tip from a Thomasville plant operator who contacted Yadkin Riverkeeper to report plant officials had intentionally underreported the spill totals to the media. N.C. Law requires sewage spills over 1,000 gallons be reported to the media to alert the public about potential health risks. EPA refuses to comment on the details of the investigation, but falsifying data can lead to criminal prosecution.
The spill first began on July 13, lasting through Aug. 4, when plant officials claim to have first discovered the spill. The spill resulted from a collapsed manhole cover after heavy rainfall on July 13, but according to Huffman, no one at the plant knew there was a problem at that time.
Huffman used plant data from Aug. 4 to initially determine 385,000 gallons entered Hamby Creek but it is unclear why plant officials did not look at the plant data prior to Aug. 4 to determine a much larger sewage spill had occurred.