CHARLESTON, SC NEWS - LIVE 5 WCSC Breaking News, Weather, SportsDHEC: Knowing how many gallons spilled will take time, investigation

DHEC: Knowing how many gallons spilled will take time, investigation

By Hatzel Vela  bio | email | Twitter

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Officials with the Department of Health and Environmental Control say it's still too early to get a real assessment of the amount of raw sewage that spilled into the Ashley River Sunday and Monday.

DHEC and the North Charleston Sewer District will be conducting an investigation, now that the discharge has been stopped, to determine more accurately the number of gallons spilled. Monday, DHEC reported more than 5,000 gallons had been spilled, but Tuesday it revised that statement to say the amount is notably more than the initial assessment.

Crews with the sewer district are making repairs to the line that ruptured, but that work could take a few days.

DHEC spokesman Jim Beasley said crews are taking water samples at the spill site to determine what damage has been done. They will continue to monitor the situation along the 10-mile stretch of Ashley River that has been deemed unsafe by the health agency, he said.

More than 5,000 gallons of raw sewage was released from a broken sewer line at the Charleston Air Force Base Sunday afternoon.

"A portion of the untreated wastewater entered a storm drainage and subsequently entered the Ashley River," said a North Charleston Sewer District release.

The Department of Health and Environmental Control advised "against fishing and crabbing five miles north and south of Hunley Park due to the potential of elevated levels of E. coli and fecal coliform," said a release.

By 1 p.m. Monday afternoon, crews were able to control the spill by bypassing the broken sewer line, allowing the sewer to go around, said Mary Trussell, a spokeswoman for the North Charleston Sewer District, which is in charge of those sewer lines.

This a temporary fix, while new pipes are ordered and replace the old ones, Trussell said.

It could take two to three weeks before the work is done, she said.

The health department also closed all shellfish harvesting beds on the Stono River and Schooner Creek in Charleston Monday afternoon as a result of sewage overflow.

"This closure is temporary and is the result of potentially elevated bacteria levels in those areas," said Mike Pearson, manager of DHEC's Shellfish Sanitation Section. "The beds will reopen once water quality data indicates the bacteria levels are acceptable for shellfish harvesting."

Keith Eadie of Eadie's Construction said his company has been replacing these sewer pipes, many of which were built in the 1970s. Some of the pipes were rotten, he said.

The construction crew was about to start working on the sewer line that broke.

According to Cyrus Buffum, the executive director of Charleston Waterkeeper, the sewage could negatively impact human and aquatic health in the area that could "lead to mass fish kills and significantly contaminated water supplies."

Charleston Waterkeeper is a non-profit organization whose goal is to defend the public's right to clean water.

"The waste that was discharged is an organic matter so it's naturally going to break down in the environment, but in doing so, until it's broken down it can have negative effects on human health," Buffum said.

This sheds light on the bigger issue of outdated infrastructure, he said.

"It's really time for every single waste water treatment plant, not just in Charleston, but nationwide to really do a quality audit and to make sure that their facilities are up to par to make sure that the public's health is not jeopardized when this happens another time," Buffum said.

Craig Reifeis was grilling some ribs in the front yard of his home on Hunley Park. His home's backyard faces the Ashley River.

Reifeis was not happy to hear about the spill, but said he understood mistakes could happen.

"The real test is that when those things happen, are we doing something to in some fashion address what took place and prevent it from happening again," Reifeis said.

Reifeis and his family have lived at their Lambs Road home for 24 years. He hopes if something similar ever happens again, he'd be notified because his family does use the river and wouldn't want to run into sewage while taking part in recreational activities.

He was glad to hear the spill didn't happen during the summer when the river gets really busy.

The North Charleston Sewer District is a special purpose district, which has its own budget and revenue based on fees they charge.

It has nine commissioners appointed by the governor.

The district covers almost 534 miles of sewer lines, 59 pump stations, and the Felix C. Davis Wastewater Treatment Plant, located near the Cooper River on Herbert Street in Charleston, according to the district's web site.

The sewer district has advised that people living near the spill take precautionary steps to protect themselves from the spill including avoiding direct contact with the affected area. They said people and pets that have come in contact with the affected area should be bathed.

Beasley said the affected area had been considered impaired by DHEC before the spill because of the high levels of bacteria found in the water.

Related story: Sewer district: More than 200,000 gallons of sewage spilled

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