news-record.com

THOMASVILLE (MCT) -- Miscommunication caused Thomasville officials to underreport a wastewater spill that allowed 15.93 million gallons of raw sewage to enter Hamby Creek in July and August, city officials said Monday.

According to City Manager Kelly Craver, the federal Environmental Protection Agency made Thomasville employees recalculate an amount of 385,000 gallons of raw sewage that the city initially reported to the N.C. Division of Water Quality on Aug. 4.

The untreated wastewater spill, which began July 13 and ended Aug. 4, came from the North Hamby Creek Outfall Line near Baptist Children's Home Road, and sewage spilled into the North Hamby Creek in the Yadkin/Pee Dee River Basin. Craver said the wastewater spill happened as a result of a manhole that collapsed, possibly during or after a rain storm on July 13.

The city manager said he knew of no environmental impacts that could be attributed to Thomasville's wastewater spill.

Yadkin Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks said EPA officials conducted their investigation based on a report he received Aug. 28. Naujoks said he received a tip from an employee at the Thomasville Wastewater Treatment Plant who said plant officials intentionally underreported the spill totals to the media.

''I don't believe we had anybody on staff who intentionally underreported this," Craver said. "I can't speak to why someone made that call. That was somebody's personal decision, but I hate they didn't tell me. We would have fixed it as soon as we would have known about it."

The EPA investigation concluded the spill was underreported because of "miscommunication," said Morgan Huffman, the city's public services director. The EPA also told Thomasville officials that there was no criminal intent by city employees, Huffman said.

Kevin LaPointe, a special agent with the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, could not be reached for comment Monday.

Naujoks, who started his own investigation Friday, said the Thomasville wastewater treatment spill is the largest he has heard of in more than a decade. From his investigation, Naujoks said, plant operator logs from July 16 to July 25 indicate flow coming into the plant had dropped from an average of 2 million gallons a day to 1.2 million gallons a day.

''Someone is lying about what took place out here because it is clear from the plant's own data people knew this spill was happening," he said. "A 15 million gallon sewage spill, larger than the Exxon Valdez oil spill, does not go undetected for 20 days straight without knowing it is happening."

The city initially was fined $1,616 in August for reporting the spill of 385,000 gallons. Huffman said he wouldn't be surprised if there was a modification of the initial fine.