Problematic W. Noble Street Site
Heavy rains and flooding on Thursday are being blamed for several sewage spills in the Clayton, Four Oaks and Selma areas. The spills totaled 346,360 gallons of untreated wastewater being discharged.
Johnston County Public Utilities said their largest spill, 282,000 gallons occurred in the vicinity of 1457 W. Noble Street in Selma an area that has had repeated issues. The spill discharged into Mill Creek from 11:00am Thursday until 10:30am Friday.
Approximately 18,000 gallons spilled in the vicinity of 747 Devil’s Racetrack Road near Four Oaks. The spill discharged into an unnamed tributary to the Neuse River from 11:30am until 11:30pm Thursday.
Approximately 39,360 gallons discharged in the vicinity of 400 Fawnbrook Drive near Four Oaks and into a tributary to Holts Lake. The spill occurred from 3:30pm to 11:30pm Thursday.
The Town of Clayton reported a 7,000 gallon spill of untreated wastewater in the 1000 block of Durham Street. The sewage discharged from a manhole, near the Wastewater Treatment Plant, into a storm drain leading to Little Creek.
The State Division of Water Resources has been notified and is reviewing the incidents.
Johnston County Public Utilities has reported multiple sewage spills in the past in the vicinity of 1457 W. Noble Street. In September 2019, rainwater and stormwater infiltration was blamed for a 640,000 gallon discharge of untreated wastewater. A second spill happened the very next day resulting in an additional 3,600 gallon spill.
In October 2016, during Hurricane Matthew, 8.76 million gallons of sewage escape during a five day period. That spill was also blamed on extreme weather conditions.
In October 2017, an 11,000 gallon spill occurred at the same W. Noble Street location. That incident was blamed on a broken pipe.
