Notification of Discharge of Untreated Wastewater

General Statute 143-215.1C requires that the owner or operator of any wastewater collection or treatment works to issue a press release when an untreated wastewater discharge of 1,000 gallons or more reaches surface waters.

In accordance with that regulation, the following news release has been prepared and issued to media in Cherokee County.

The Town of Murphy had a discharge of untreated wastewater on July 2, 2019 of an estimated 2,000 gallons at the manhole located behind the U.S. Forest Service offices at 123 Woodland Drive. The untreated wastewater was discharged into the Hiwassee River.

The Division of Water Resources and the Cherokee County Health Department was notified of the event on July 2, 2019. The Town is conducting lab tests to measure the impact of the spill on the river, and are expecting the test results back on the afternoon of July 3. We are advising the public to avoid swimming and fishing in that area until we get the results back. For more information please contact the Town of Murphy at 828-837-2510, or town_of_murphy@frontier.com.

The Town applied to the state for a loan to replace 1,000 linear feet of sewer main at this location that has a reverse grade (gravity sewer running uphill). The Town will be notified of the acceptance/rejection of the loan application this month. The repair will prevent future discharges from occurring. The Town's most recent emergency funding application submitted in January could not be accommodated by the state due to the massive damage caused by the hurricane last fall.

Rick Ramsey
Mayor