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14,000 gallon sewage spill in Washington may have reached may have reached the Mitchell Branch

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston
Published July 16, 2024 at 6:53 AM EDT
City officials say the discharge of untreated wastewater began on Sunday just before 6 a.m. and continued for more than 24 hours, until just after 8 a.m. on Monday.
City of Washington
City officials say the discharge of untreated wastewater began on Sunday just before 6 a.m. and continued for more than 24 hours, until just after 8 a.m. on Monday.

A power failure at a pump station led to a large sewage spill in Washington.

City officials say the discharge of untreated wastewater began on Sunday just before 6 a.m. and continued for more than 24 hours, until just after 8 a.m. on Monday.

14,000 gallons may have reached the Mitchell Branch in the Tar-Pamlico River Basin.

City crews were able to fix the malfunction within 10 minutes after discovering the problem, and officials say the Department of Environmental Quality has been notified.
Annette Weston
Annette is an award-winning journalist based in Eastern North Carolina. Her career includes professional stops across the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Southeast, recently culminating in a 2026 Region 8 Edward R. Murrow Award for Small Market Radio Best News Series for her work on the Camp Lejeune Justice Act Series. Guided by a passion for human-interest storytelling, she focuses on narratives that touch hearts and connect communities. A mother of four and grandmother of two, Annette enjoys reading and creating epic Halloween costumes in her spare time. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
See stories by Annette Weston