Sewage leaks into Saluda River tributary

A sewage spill that might have gone undetected for weeks on a Saluda River tributary has been stopped, but a local river protection advocate is warning kayakers to be careful this weekend until authorities are sure the contamination has cleared out.

Riverkeeper Bill Stangler said he and a group of university researchers discovered leaks this week from a pipe that runs through Stoops Creek, upstream from Riverbanks Zoo near Bush River Road.

Stangler estimated some 5 million gallons of poorly treated sewage spilled into Stoops Creek during at least a month.

City utilities director Joey Jaco said he could not confirm how long the leak occurred or how much sewage had spilled, but he agreed it was large and might have occurred for some time without detection. The city learned of the leak in the 30-inch force main two days ago, he said.

“As of this morning, it was repaired and we were back to normal operation,’’ Jaco said.

The force main, owned by the city of Columbia, had a sizable hole when Stangler found it, the riverkeeper said. Stangler said he saw sewage bubbling up in the creek while sampling water quality in the area. Some University of South Carolina students who were doing research in the area also had noticed a problem, he said.

SCE&G raised water levels in the Saluda this week to help flush some of the sewage out, but Stangler said he would remain cautious even as temperatures rise and people are tempted to go boating on the Saluda.

Exposure to raw or poorly treated sewage can make people sick. Because of bacteria in the waste, people can get upset stomachs or other ailments related to sewage exposure.

“The entire river below Stoops Creek was potentially impacted,’’ Stangler said. “With that volume of sewage going down, it is really concerning.’’

Sewage leaks remain a big issue in Columbia as the city scrambles to repair its crumbling wastewater system. But in this case, the pipe that leaked sewage appeared to have been damaged, perhaps during last fall’s devastating flood, Jaco said. High river levels inundated sewage systems as torrential rains fell.

Protecting the lower Saluda River is of particular interest to many people in the Columbia area because the waterway is a state-designated scenic river. Local wastewater planners have sought for several decades to remove all sewage discharges from the Saluda, a popular recreation spot for kayakers and trout fishermen.

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 9:03 PM with the headline "Sewage leaks into Saluda River tributary."