[Durham INC] Letter: Water Protection Needs Higher Durham Priority (Herald-Sun, Nov 2000)

[John Schelp]

FYI, here are some recommendations we developed, after a sewer line break in November 2000. 


All best,
John Schelp


Letter: Water Protection Needs Higher Durham Priority
(Herald-Sun. December 15, 2000)

South Ellerbe Creek flows for three miles through some
of Durham's oldest and most densely developed
neighborhoods (Old West Durham, Walltown, Trinity Park
and Northgate Park).

It is home to wild rose and blackberry bushes, wild
pear trees, cat tails, thrush grasses and other
wetland plants, large bullfrogs, rabbits, racoon and
several varieties of birds -- including red tail hawks
and great blue herons.

After crossing under Northgate Mall's massive surface
parking lots and Interstate 85, South Ellerbe flows
into what was a greenbelt of forests and farms that
separated Durham from Braggtown. It was here, on
Thanksgiving Day, that an old 18" terra-cotta pipe
burst, spilling 4.5 million gallons of raw sewage into
the creek for a period nine
 days -- the biggest sewage
spill in the state.

Once detected, the City of Durham responded to the
spill quickly and capably. However, the City of Durham
must take responsibility for the slow detection of
this spill of raw sewage into South Ellerbe Creek and
the Neuse River system. The City uses automatic
monitoring devices in the wastewater pipes to detect
spills. But the one person in charge of monitoring the
computer readings was out sick, so the spill went
unnoticed.

Durham must give a higher priority to protecting our
public trust waters by giving more attention to this
very important duty. The first step could be training
existing employees as back up operators and making the
readings public so that more people could monitor for
leaks. The City is permitted to discharge treated
water into the creek. For this privilege, it must show
respect for the community and the natural
 environment
and take responsibility for protecting the creek from
such disasters.

We also ask that the risk of spills be minimized by
placing a priority on prevention. Inspecting
wastewater pipes with more frequency, and replacing
the old terra cotta pipes that are likely to crack
over time with more durable piping, should be at the
top of the list. The spill on South Ellerbe Creek
could have been prevented by a system to detect and
replace high risk pipes. Durham should be commended
for having already mapped its wastewater system, and
should be able to use these maps to locate pipes that
are compromised such as the pipe on South Ellerbe
Creek.

Urban creeks are the most neglected and degraded
creeks in the nation -- polluted, channelized,
littered, and forgotten. Yet, these streams contribute
to drinking water for urban communities, and also
provide recreation and refuge from concrete
 and
asphalt. Restored rivers help make cities livable
again, offer many urban residents a significant
connection to nature, and provide enormous benefits
for public health, recreation, economic growth, and
community pride.

The Friends of South Ellerbe Creek and the Neuse River
Foundation ask the City of Durham to take appropriate
measures to protect our waterways by investing the
necessary resources to prevent such disasters in the
future.

signed,

Michelle Nowlin, Friends of South Ellerbe Creek
and
Heather Beard, Neuse River Foundation
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