Heavy Rain Overwhelms Sewer Systems in Northern Iowa Town
WESLEY, Iowa (AP) — The mayor of Wesley says the town has stopped pumping untreated wastewater into the system that drains into a creek and eventually into the Boone River in northern Iowa.
Mayor Duane Larson said Thursday the nearly 5 inches of rain that fell in his part of Kossuth County on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning overwhelmed the sanitary sewer and storm sewer systems and filled most of the basements in town.
That forced the town to pump the untreated wastewater downstream for about five hours, ending at noon Wednesday.
City clerk Marla Wingert says she had about 2 feet of water in her basement, “but everything’s pretty much back to normal now.”
Kossuth County supervisors say they’ll ask Gov. Terry Branstad for a disaster declaration that would provide state aid.
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