Sewage spills into Columbia from Eastside sewer plant

[Bigshooter]

Sewage spills into Columbia from Eastside sewer plant
By Rick Steigmeyer
World staff writer

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

EAST WENATCHEE — A faulty float and alarm system is responsible for a massive sewage spill from the Douglas County Sewer District plant into the Columbia River Sunday night and Monday morning.

The sewer district estimates about 500,000 gallons of partially treated sewage was dumped into the Columbia before overflow pumps were manually turned on Monday morning, said Jim Robins, district manager. The problem was caused by a faulty pump switch and an alarm system that should have warned district employees of the problem, he said. Records show the overflow began at 6:30 p.m. Sunday and was stopped when the pump was manually turned back on a little after 7 a.m. Monday.

Robins said the sewage had gone through a preliminary cleaning and was free of most organic material and solid matter.

The plant is now back to normal operation.

The Washington Department of Ecology is now working with the district to identify the cause of the spill and prevent further spills, said Joye Redfield-Wilder, an Ecology spokeswoman.

Meanwhile, Ecology is also tracking another larger raw sewage spill reported from a broken sewer line in Trail, British Columbia. That spill is also flowing into the Columbia River and into Washington state. Canadian officials estimate the broken line could spill 1.5 million gallons of sewage into the river before repairs are completed.

Redfield-Wilder said the spills are the largest on the Columbia in recent memory.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/mar/27/sewage-spills-into-columbia-from-eastside-sewer/

[JLS]

Better hold off on going water skiiing at Crescent Bar!

[Hilltop123]

The solution, to pollution, is dilution.    500,000 gals  from the Wenatchee spill and 1.5 million from Canada, in the Columbia, is not a good thing, but overall just a blip on the radar, when it comes to pollution in the Columbia. 

[Wa hunter]

No limit on Boneless browns and Eastern corn backs.

[bearpaw]

Just heard on the radio that 1.15 million gallons of sewage was spilled into the Columbia just across the border in Trail, B.C. yesterday. Then it was reported that sewage was spilled into the Columbia at Wenatchee.

 

[buckfvr]

Time to get some walleye........

[BOWHUNTER45]

The most polluted river in the country just got worse 

[Bone_Collector]

I now know why the walleye are so large in the Columbia!     

B_C

[TheHunt]

Now that is nasty...   

[Stickerbush]

The most polluted river in the country just got worse 

You sure about that? If you consider the miss. and everything east of there they are a lot worse off than the Columbia

[Heredoggydoggy]

The most polluted river in the country just got worse 

You sure about that? If you consider the miss. and everything east of there they are a lot worse off than the Columbia

   I can remember times years ago when you could practically walk across parts of the Connecticut River on the trash, turds, and condoms!   

[ICEMAN]

No limit on Boneless browns and Eastern corn backs.

OMG!!!!!!   



Damned funny!!!!!!!!!