Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Thousands of gallons of raw sewage were released into Peter's Creek last week

The spill occurred on Tuesday near 415 Northwest Boulevard in Winston-Salem. ERIC RISBERG/AP

Nearly 80,000 gallons of raw sewage was released in Peter's Creek in Winston-Salem last week, and the public wasn't notified until days later. 

The spill occurred on Tuesday near 415 Northwest Boulevard in Winston-Salem. Gale Ketteler, with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities, says 79,500 gallons of wastewater were discharged into the creek in the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin.

It was the county's largest spill in almost two years.

Ketteler says it happened because contractors using the county's Geographic Information System (GIS) inadvertently used the wrong main to bypass wastewater flow during a repair. 

“So when they selected the main to bypass to, it appeared on GIS as active. And unfortunately, it turned out it had been abandoned. So it was flowing directly into a creek,” she says.

Ketteler says she didn't receive notice of the accident until Friday morning, three days after the start of the spill. That's when she sent out a message alerting the public, as required by state law. 

April Laissle is a reporter and WFDD's host of All Things Considered. Her work has been featured on several national news programs and recognized by the Public Media Journalists Association and the Radio Television Digital News Association. Before joining WFDD in 2019, she worked at public radio stations in Ohio and California.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate