Septic system fail in Swepsonville leads to high levels of E. Coli

Swimming and recreation in a river are awesome, but these are threatened by septic waste draining into the Haw.

A failed septic system on Geneva Albright road in Graham, NC has been dumping raw septic waste into a stormwater drainage and threatening to contaminate neighboring drinking water wells. This stormwater drainage leads to the Haw, about 30 feet away, and then is just a few hundred yards upstream from the Swepsonville River Park, which had incredibly high E.coli levels last week following a rain event. 

We have spoken with Alamance County Health Department, who says they have been trying to address the situation since April. It is completely unacceptable that the county has knowingly allowed raw septic waste to reach the Haw for six months. While Alamance County Health Department holds the permit for the septic system and is responsible for enforcement, NCDEQ is responsible for enforcement of water quality violations. We have followed up with NCDEQ, who will be on site tomorrow to investigate the failed septic system, which is the cause of the water quality violations. 

Neighboring community members have reported this septic failure repeatedly to the county, with serious concerns for the quality of their own drinking water wells. If the septic system failure has resulted in bacterial contamination of the groundwater, neighboring wells could also be impacted. In response, the county has offered to take well samples to test for E.coli for $65 each sample. We have offered to test the neighboring wells for no cost, a service we can provide thanks to all of our members who support our Swim Guide program.