BEAFORT, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina authorities say untreated wastewater has leaked into a tidal ditch that leads to Battery Creek.
The Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority says about 3,300 gallons (12,492 liters) of the wastewater leaked from a sewer main Sunday. The authority says crews responded “immediately” and started cleanup efforts, the Island Packet reported.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is studying the effect of the spill on shellfish harvesting areas and will issue shellfish advisories if needed. A swim advisory is in effect in the area until lab results show acceptable bacteria levels.
The spill happened just over two months after a leak in a sewage system sent 105,000 gallons (397,468 liters) of waste into Bluffton’s May River, briefly contaminating one of Beaufort County’s most important bodies of water.
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