TEGA CAY, S.C. — Large tanker trucks were busy Monday hauling sewage out of the city of Tega Cay. The work was being done in the wake of a 150,000-gallon spill into Lake Wylie on Sunday night.
"We're disappointed that it happened, and we're trying to do what we can to prevent another spill," said Tega Cay City Manager Charlie Funderburk.
The spill happened near Palmyra Drive in an area that was served by the former Tega Cay water service. The city paid $5.8 million last year to buy the system, which is a need of repairs and upgrades. The city expects to spend millions more to make those upgrades but is still finalizing construction plans.
Down on Palmyra Drive, Brian Curtis noticed a sign in his lakefront backyard Monday morning: a "No swimming advisory" sign.
"We bought the house to be on the lake, and we're not able to utilize it right now," he said.
Curtis heard the trucks pull in overnight and knew the torrential rains must have caused another overflow. He had no idea how big the spill was.
"It's unfortunate because I've got three kids, and for the last couple of weeks they've wanted to know when we're going to go swimming," he said.
Those advisories will be in place until Department of Health and Environmental Control determines that bacteria is back within safe levels.
Funderburk said pumper trucks began coming in late Sunday, drawing sewage out of city plants and hauling it over to Dam Road on the other side of town, where it is sent to Rock Hill for treatment. The point is to ease the burden on the system as more weather approaches.
"We're getting those pumped down so that we've got room if we need to divert flow temporarily, in the event of more rain coming in," he said.
Some Tega Cay residents told Channel 9 they were not notified by phone or by an automated call about the spill.
City officials said anyone who visits the city website can sign up for free e-mail notifications.
The city hasn't had to deal with any major spills since taking over the old water service.
Officials plan to use robocalls in the future to send out alerts, as well as email.
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