Last night Charlotte Water crews rushed to a major sewage spill near downtown Pineville.
Sometime yesterday afternoon, a contractor broke a major sewer main at 427 Main Street. Over the next several hours, raw sewage continued to spill out onto the streets and into the groundwater.
Charlotte Water estimates that at least 30,000 gallons of sewage reached Sugar Creek (part of the Catawba River Watershed) before they were able to repair the break.
The Catawba Riverkeepers recommended that residents south of the spill avoid the waterways downstream until water tests come back safe. “We recommend NOT recreating immediately downstream of Sugar Creek’s confluence with the river,” the foundation posted to Facebook.
It’s difficult to say when the water will be safe again, the Riverkeepers say that people should be wary for the rest of the weekend.