For immediate release: AUG. 4, 2009

 

DNR INVESTIGATES STORM SEWERS DISCHARGES IN OTTUMWA, IOWA CITY

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Terry Jones at the DNR Washington field office at (319) 653-2135 or [log in to unmask]

 

WASHINGTON - Late last week the DNR investigated two industrial releases into city storm sewers. 

 

"It's important to keep anything but clean rain water from going into a storm sewer," said Terry Jones, a DNR environmental specialist who investigated both incidents. 

 

"Storm sewers flow directly into a river or stream, so if a pollutant goes down the street and into a storm sewer it could cause a problem for the stream or the fish living in the stream," he added. 

 

In Ottumwa, staff at the American Bottling Company discovered July 29 that an unknown amount of sugar water was entering the storm sewer and flowing into Little Cedar Creek. A byproduct of pop production, the company normally pumps the sugar water to the Ottumwa wastewater plant for treatment. 

 

The company blocked the storm sewer and is pumping up the sugar water and sending it to the treatment plant. Late Friday they flushed the storm sewer with clean, dechlorinated water after Jones found the sugar water was causing stressed fish and oxygen sags in the stream. 

 

Company staff are continuing to search for the source of the leak, suspected to be in an underground pressurized line. 

 

In Iowa City, city officials discovered that floor cleaning compounds were being washed into a storm sewer from a parking lot at Lucas Elementary School, also on July 29. The amount is unknown, but the cleaning materials reached Ralston Creek. 

 

When Jones finished checking the creek late Friday, the city had completely cleaned up the spill and Jones found stream conditions normal with many minnows swimming around. 

 

- 30 -

 

 



 

Karen Grimes

Communications Bureau

Iowa DNR

502 East Ninth Street

Des Moines, IA 50319-0034

(515) 281-5135

 



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