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WARSAW — A major wastewater spill in the Town of Warsaw is raising environmental and public health concerns after several million gallons of partially treated sewage entered Stewarts Creek. According to Warsaw officials, the issue began on Aug. 23, when the facility experienced a disruption in its normal operations after industrial wastewater overwhelmed its systems.
In response, operators were forced to shut down parts of the plant’s treatment process, which meant wastewater flowing through the plant did not receive full treatment before being discharged into Stewarts Creek.
Stewarts Creek isn’t just any waterway — it’s part of a network that supports fishing, boating, and aquatic life. While it’s not a source of drinking water itself, the creek flows into Six Runs Creek, then the Black River, and eventually reaches the Cape Fear River — a major water supply for the region.
Even though drinking water is treated before reaching taps, increased contamination levels in source waters can put added pressure on treatment systems and increase the risk of harmful substances entering the supply.
Anyone swimming, fishing, wading, or boating in Stewarts Creek, Six Runs Creek, or nearby waters could be exposed to bacteria and pathogens. This can cause skin rashes, stomach illnesses, or infections. Fishing risk: Fish caught in or near the creek may carry harmful bacteria. Eating them raw or undercooked could make people sick.
“This contamination not only threatens the well-being of our residents but also the vegetation and private properties downstream,” said Commissioner Ebony Willis-Wells in a public statement. “Additionally, the town has learned that D&J Hauling is transporting sludge from the plant to farms in Duplin County, where it is being sprayed on crops — raising serious legal, ethical, and health questions, especially since the bidding and approval of this contract remain unclear.”
The Town of Warsaw’s ongoing wastewater treatment issues are part of a broader, long-standing pattern of noncompliance, rooted in persistent industrial overloading of the municipal treatment system — particularly from two major users: Villari Foods Group and C2NC.
Since May 2023, the Warsaw Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) has struggled to meet its NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) effluent limits. Operators at the plant have reported repeated treatment failures, including the discharge of dark-colored effluent, low dissolved oxygen levels, inability to achieve nitrification, and inadequate disinfection. Despite attempts to restore biological function using sludge from other towns and mechanical adjustments, the system has not recovered.
Villari Foods, a large pork processing facility, has been discharging waste with BOD, TSS, and TKN concentrations many times higher than permitted — in some months, discharges exceeded BOD limits by nearly tenfold. Likewise, ammonia and nitrogen levels have been consistently above the limits. These extreme organic and nutrient loads have essentially overwhelmed the plant’s biological treatment capacity. Despite being repeatedly issued Notices of Violation and significant noncompliance throughout 2024 and into 2025, Villari has not yet brought its discharge within the limits required by its Industrial User Permit (IUP).
C2NC, a bioenergy facility handling agricultural waste, has also been out of compliance since at least late 2024. Although their BOD and TSS levels are generally closer to acceptable levels, their ammonia and TKN levels are alarmingly high — sometimes by a factor of 30 to 40 above the expected concentrations for domestic wastewater.
Equipment failures and high solids content have all been cited as contributing factors. Like Villari, C2NC has missed several self-set deadlines for achieving compliance and was formally ordered by the town to cease discharge in July 2025, although a limited discharge of 100,000 gallons per day was conditionally approved while system modifications are underway.
The Town of Warsaw has made clear that it cannot achieve compliance with its own NPDES permit as long as these two industrial users continue to discharge wastewater at current pollutant levels. The town has taken emergency steps — such as leasing a belt filter press to reduce solids in its oxidation ditches — but these are stop-gap measures. True recovery of the WWTP requires that Villari and C2NC reduce both the volume and strength of their discharges. Both industries have been encouraged to enhance pretreatment on their own premises, utilizing their own staff, infrastructure, and financial resources. The town has explicitly stated it will not redesign or expand its WWTP to accommodate its waste.
The industries have proposed long-term compliance timelines — with Villari aiming for early 2027 and C2NC working toward staged improvements — but Warsaw officials have deemed those timelines unacceptable. The town has demanded immediate action, including leasing equipment, hauling wastewater, making production adjustments, or implementing more effective pretreatment.
The Town of Warsaw is currently working to bring the plant back online and stop further discharges. Until the situation is resolved, local residents and visitors are advised to avoid recreational activities in Stewarts Creek.
