Sun City Sewer Overflow Update

The sewage spill along the Sun City Carolina Lakes outfall line occurred during the height of the river
flows on the weekend of September 28-29th. The flows in the Catawba River were approximately 8 – 10
feet above the 100-year flood plain and therefore submerged our sewer outfall line and created further
hazards to our electrical components at the Sun City Pump Station. South Carolina Department of
Environmental Services (DES) guidance requires sewer lines and pump stations to be designed as much
as 2 feet above the 100-year flood plain. So, this was a significant flooding event. There was no expedient
way to pump and haul from the Pump Station because of the flooding. The Catawba River Basin is the
same river system which experienced some of the worst flooding in the mountains of North
Carolina. Duke Energy, who controls the river flows and water levels has quoted this event as a one in
1000-year rainfall event. The average flow in the Catawba River during this time was in excess of 50
million gallons per minute. Although there were no signs of the spill once the high water from the river
subsided, we treated areas along the sewer outfall manholes with lime stabilization.

There is no direct connection between the sewer overflows and your drinking water. Therefore, there is
no need for any boil water notices. Our Catawba River Water Treatment Facility has a 1 billion gallon
off-stream reservoir. Therefore, we did not need to withdraw any water from the Catawba River until
several days after the flood waters receded. In addition, all normal settling, filtration, and disinfection
procedures as well as sampling and testing at our treatment facility and our distribution system continues
to ensure the safety of your drinking water, separately from any of the events in the Catawba River or
within our sewer collection system.