News Briefs: Hurricane Florence Tests the Carolinas' Sewer/Water Infrastructure

Numerous sewer systems and treatment plants have been overwhelmed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, as the storm tested the infrastructure of the Carolinas. Reggie Cheatham, EPA’s director of emergency management, told reporters in a teleconference that the agency had seen releases of wastewater from manholes and from overflowing sewer systems, adding that a wastewater plant in Onslow County, North Carolina, experienced a catastrophic failure. “They basically had to deal with the storm surge, loss of power, and obviously shut down pumps and the system completely depressurized and they haven’t been able to bring that back up,” he said, according to