Anyone worried about the sewage spills in Abbotts read this

[poppop]

Got my email back from Alcoa....and here is the post. Pay extra attention to the discharge data posted, and you can see where the 17mm gallons are not causing Alcoa a concern. If my calculations are right..the 17mm gallons of sewage Tville put in would be gone through the dam in 3 to 4 minutes. I also sent him links to the sewage spills in the past six months, so he can catch up on the amounts.


Hi Rick,

I don’t know where you came up with 17 mm gal of sewage spilled. Plenty has been spilled but more like less than 100,000 gal. from Thomasville as far as I know. It’s not just Thomasville either. Just last week, Albemarle and Stanly county spilled upwards of 100,000 gal too. That sewage would have gone into Tillery rather than our lakes but regardless, it’s a problem no question. As far as I can tell it boils down to funding often times. Many systems out there are not able to cope with excess storm water. It’s probably because the population has out grown the system’s capabilities and add to that the rain that has been coming down this winter and you’ve got a spill waiting to happen. Not the best time to ask for upgrades I suppose unless stimulus money is available.

If it helps you sleep there is another perspective I try to remember. Typically we let through our reservoir system about 13,000 – 15,000 cubic feet per second this time of year. Recent flows have been much higher because of the rain we’ve been having. But if we use 13,000cfs and calculate the amount of water going down stream it’s pretty amazing. A cubic foot is about 7 gallons. So 13,000 cfs = 91,000 gallons per second or 5,460,000 gal/minute or 327,600,000 gal/hour. There is a good current out there even if you can’t feel it much. What that means is the water itself doesn’t stay around very long but the heavier particles will sink to the bottom. Problems can show up later if the bottom is disturbed.

As to what APGI can do about it; we are a neighbor of these municipalities just as you are. We voice our opinions, report wrong doings when we find them, and try be good environmental stewards ourselves. Beyond that it is up to State and Federal agencies to police and enforce environmental regulations. We have no authority to do so. When I learn of a water problem I talk with NCDENR Water Quality or Water Resources. If it’s biological I call the NCWRC and or the US Fish & Wildlife Agency. Other agencies such as the Army Corp of Engineers or EPA also often have jurisdiction. We have to work within the system. It’s not perfect but better than most places.

[painterfish]

good info pop and thanks for following up but where does he get his amounts from that part about settleing to the bottom didnt sound to good

[poppop]

not sure painter..but it would stand to reason...that the further up the river is where the most concentration of heavier particles would be....

[olefisher]

That "settling to the bottom" really bothers me too. I lived outside of Philadelphia for 6 yrs and there's hardly any river or stream where it's safe to eat fish you catch out of them in PA, NJ, or NY. People up there said the same thing as this guy did years ago when regulations were slack and now might rivers like the Hudson, smaller rivers, and streams are RUINED. Yep it settles to the bottom and then when they dredge or you try to clean it up you stir it all back up...doesn't just disappear my friend.