600 gallons of sewage spill into Durham creek

About 600 gallons of untreated wastewater spilled from a manhole into Ellerbe Creek in Durham on Sunday, city officials said.

Staff determined that the spill occurred after a buildup of rags blocked the sewer main. The blockage was reported at 1:30 p.m. at a manhole at 1805 Milan Street.

The blockage was cleared, stopping the overflow by 2:30 p.m., and the area around the overflow was cleaned. Crews dammed the creek and installed a bypass pump to remove wastewater from the creek, pumping it back into the collection system.

The creek was being flushed and the liquids were being pumped into the collection system. No immediately visible adverse environmental impacts or hazards to people or property were observed, city officials said.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources was notified as required by state law.