Iowa Department of Natural Resources Environmental Services Division For Immediate Release July 13, 2007 FAILED PUMP CONTROLS LEAD TO BYPASS REACHING OTTUMWA OXBOW LAKE MEDIA CONTACT: Karen Grimes at (515) 281-5135 OTTUMWA -- Residents are being asked to avoid contact with Ottumwa Oxbow Lake, locally known as the Ottumwa Lagoon, after approximately 360,000 gallons of untreated wastewater entered the lake Thursday into Friday morning. Routine checks Friday morning found pumps were not running during the past 24 hours at the Richmond Pump Station. These pumps usually run about six hours per day and send sewage to Ottumwa's wastewater treatment plant for treatment. Instead of entering the treatment plant, the failed pumps caused raw sewage to overflow into the lagoon. The city's automatic notification system also failed so plant staff was not alerted to the ongoing discharge. The city fixed the problem early Friday morning, stopping the overflow to the lagoon. The pump station is on a combined sewer system, where the sanitary and storm sewers share the same pipes, mixing waste from homes and businesses with rain and runoff. “Usually discharges from combined sewers occur when it’s raining and are diluted. It was not raining today so there was no dilution, thus this was a stronger concentration,” said Paul Brandt, an environmental specialist at the DNR field office in Washington. “We are recommending people should avoid contact with the lagoon.” The Environmental Protection Agency has identified the environmental problems associated with combined sewer overflows as one of its national priorities. Discharges from combined sewer overflows can expose people to high levels of bacteria and potential pathogens, threaten aquatic life and its habitat and impair the use and enjoyment of waterways. The city is presently doing a large sewer separation project around its south side which will eliminate the combined sewers. There are nine Iowa cities, including Ottumwa, that have combined sewer systems. Writer: Holly Williams -30- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/