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Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop teamed up this week with Smithfield town officials and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to do a deeper dive into the source of bacteria flowing into the Neuse River from a town stormwater outfall.

“This is the latest development in our ongoing investigation into the source of elevated E. coli in the stormwater outfall that flows directly into the Neuse at Smithfield Town Common, right along the Neuse River Trail,” Samantha said.

On Tuesday, Samantha joined NCDEQ Division of Water Resources Environmental Program Consultant Donald Smith, Smithfield Public Works Director Lawrence Davis, Smithfield Public Utilities Director Ted Credle and Assistant Town Manager Kimberly Pickett to collect samples at the outfall itself, at a manhole at the intersection of Bridge and Fifth streets and on the property of the Lamphe & Malphrus lumber mill.

“The reason why we sampled the lumber mill is they have a permit to discharge into the system leading to that outfall, which explains the huge amount of water coming from it, even in dry times,” Samantha said. “So, we got into the lumber mill yard to sample the effluent coming from the mill because it’s such a big contributor to the flow.”

The outfall issue first came to Samantha’s attention a year ago when she and Sound Rivers Program Director Clay Barber happened upon the outfall and a foul smell emanating from the water pouring into the Neuse River. Since, she and Water Quality Specialist Taylor Register have done numerous rounds of sampling all showing elevated levels of E. coli, and DNA testing pointed to a human source of the bacteria, indicating a sewer system problem. The Town of Smithfield attempted to identify the source using dye testing on the system but found no apparent issue.

“It’s most likely a cross contamination issue between the stormwater and sewer lines,” Samantha said. “We have asked the town and the town has agreed to do additional dye testing and CCTV, on the line all the way from the lumber mill to the river. We should have the results from DEQ in a few weeks and that should really help us to rule out the lumber mill and identify whether the sewer problem is in the line above or below where the manhole is located.”

They did, however, find the source of the smell that she and Clay initially experienced and numerous community members have called about since.

“It’s not a sewage smell we’re smelling,” Samantha said. “It’s a very noxious chemical smell from decomposition of organic solids, aka wood. It’s the exact same smell at the lumber mill. The issue of the smell is the most obvious problem people report, but it is not necessarily connected to the level of bacteria in the water. Unfortunately, the smell issue probably won’t go away, even if we identify the sewer problem.”

Samantha said she’s hopeful that the problem will be resolved soon.

“The town has been really cooperative in helping identify the issue and DEQ was helpful in conducting their own sampling and providing recommendations,” she said. “It’s nice to work with a city and the state to solve these problems. We’re all on board with keeping the Neuse River clean and also in trying to assuage the community’s concerns about the smell. It may be a year later, but these things take time — building the relationships so we can work together takes time.”

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