Heavy rainfall triggers wastewater spill into Johnston County creek

The Town of Clayton has announced a wastewater spill into Little Creek triggered by this week's heavy rainfall.

In a release Thursday, the town reported that rain caused approximately 4,500 gallons of untreated wastewater to overflow, 1,000 of which entered a stormwater pipe that discharges directly into Little Creek.

According to a town spokesperson, the rainfall put pressure on the system, triggering the overflow. It's the fourth time something like this has happened in five years. The town says no environmental impacts have been found.

However, when asked about the potential effects of sewer spills, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality said that spills like this can introduce harmful bacteria and other pathogens into waterways.

Residents who live near Little Creek told us they were unaware of the spill before being asked about it.

Other residents also questioned why nearby neighbors had not been informed.

The Town of Clayton says it is preparing to bring a new water reclamation facility online later this year. The new facility will have a treatment capacity of 6 million gallons per day, more than doubling the town's current capacity.

Town officials said the additional capacity will significantly reduce the likelihood of rainfall-related capacity issues and future sanitary sewer overflows.