Contractor debris causes sewer overflow in Michigan township
(UI) - A contractor-installed test plug left inside an 8-inch sanitary sewer main caused a wastewater overflow in East Bay Township, Mich., releasing an estimated 500 to 1,000 gallons of sewage before public works crews restored service, 9 and 10 News reported.
The East Bay Township Department of Public Works responded to the incident June 29 after receiving reports of sewage surfacing along North Four Mile Road. During a visual inspection and CCTV assessment of the collection system, crews discovered a test plug that had been left behind during previous construction or repair work, completely blocking the sewer main. According to 9 and 10 News, personnel pumped down an upstream manhole, entered the sewer through a confined-space operation and removed the obstruction to restore normal flow.
Officials said the overflow was contained to a roadside swale between two properties and did not reach nearby Mitchell Creek tributaries. The incident has been reported to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and the Grand Traverse County Department of Environmental Health.
Related News
From Archive
- Oil pipeline struck during fiber optic construction spills into L.A. storm drains
- Utility strike at center of Dallas explosion investigation
- $1 billion Ohio River Tunnel project awarded in Pittsburgh
- Gas line strike destroys three homes in Ohio neighborhood
- Las Vegas advances multibillion-dollar water pipeline expansion
- Final Lake Erie sewer tunnel project set to begin after decades-long $3 billion effort
- Inside Infrastructure: Utility locators warn of systemic failures in damage prevention process
- Senate passes PIPELINE Safety Act aimed at strengthening buried utility protection
- $104 million Lynchburg, Va., tunnel nears breakthrough beneath Blackwater Creek
Comments