Sewage spill into river at Dungannon linked to grease build-up

NI Water has confirmed that a sewage spill into a local river in the Killybracken Road area of Dungannon was caused by a build-up of baby wipes and fats, oils and grease in the sewer network.

A spokesperson for the water authority explained that staff were alerted to a sewage leak in the area on Monday past and that a team was immediately dispatched to investigate and clear the blockage.

“The blockage was removed at around 9pm,” the spokesperson said. “It was a complicated operation and required heavy duty machinery to be brought in to complete the job.

“A clean-up has since been carried out, with all sewage related debris removed from site.”

As a follow-up, NI Water contractors completed a 1,350-metre desilt of the network – equivalent to 15 football pitches in length – to help prevent future problems.

“Such was the build-up of fats, oils and grease in our network, this was deemed essential and will come with significant cost,” the spokesperson added. “A CCTV survey has also been planned to ensure there are no structure defects within the network.”

The company stressed that the spill was the result of inappropriate items being flushed into the wastewater system.

“NI Water would like to take this opportunity to remind the public to only flush the three Ps — pee, poo and paper. All other waste should be binned. A wastewater drain (sewer) is only designed to take human waste and toilet paper. Other waste can cause blockages leading to out-of-sewer flooding.”

Further advice is available through the company’s ‘Bag It and Bin It’ campaign on the NI Water website.