Raleigh Water crews completed cleanup efforts along Turkey Creek on Wednesday, May 20 following the disposal into a storm drain of a wastewater discharge at the construction site for expansion at the Raleigh Durham Airport (RDU).
The initial spill happened on the morning of Tuesday, May 12. On-site containment ponds were used to prevent wastewater from reaching surface waters at the RDU site. Raleigh Water worked with the contractor to remove the wastewater from the containment ponds to a nearby sanitary sewer drain. However, the contractor mistakenly emptied the wastewater into a storm drain. From there, it flowed into Turkey Creek. Raleigh Water submitted two required notices to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ): an initial notice within 24 hours and a detailed report within five days.
Crews quickly mobilized to restore the creek, using dams to separate affected sections and allow clean water to be added to the creek. The collected water is then pumped out to be treated at our Neuse River Resource Recovery Facility.
Raleigh Water staff have worked extended hours, including over the weekend, to continue this restoration effort.
How It Started
The RDU runway expansion project requires moving sewer utility lines. The contractor set up what’s called a bypass pumping operation that keeps the sewer line flowing while the new one was installed. That bypass pumping operation failed, and the wastewater spilled into the construction site.
In the evening on May 12, 2026, Raleigh Water was notified that a contractor hauler was dumping into a storm drain instead of our sanitary sewer. This caused wastewater to flow from the storm drainage system into Turkey Creek instead of our Resource Recovery Facility. The storm drain manhole was approximately 30 to 50 feet from the marked sanitary sewer manhole. Stormwater staff joined the cleanup effort on Wednesday, May 13.
How It's Going
Given the volume of wastewater involved, Raleigh Water provided expert staff from Sewer Maintenance and Resource Recovery to prevent a discharge to surface waters.
Since then, both divisions have continued to assist with transporting the contained wastewater to the sanitary sewer system that flows to our Neuse River Resource Recovery Facility.
Raleigh Water sewer maintenance crews completed a thorough cleanup. Expected rainfall may help dilute any remaining wastewater, but the City cannot confirm the creek is safe until DEQ completes its review. The City will share updates with residents as soon as that information is available.