Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Environmental Services Division

For Immediate Release October 18, 2007

MORE COMMUNITIES REPORT WASTEWATER BYPASSES

MEDIA CONTACT: Sheila Kenny (Armstrong, Emmetsburg) at (712) 262-4177 or Terry Jones (Bloomfield) at (319) 653-2135.

DES MOINES — An additional three Iowa communities reported wastewater bypasses to the DNR Thursday afternoon following heavy rainfall.

Untreated wastewater overflowed from a pumping station into the East Fork Des Moines River in Armstrong from 9:00 a.m. to noon Thursday. The Emmet County town estimates it discharged about 1,000 to 2,000 gallons of wastewater.

In Palo Alto County, the City of Emmetsburg began discharging partially treated wastewater at 11:00 a.m. Thursday. Wastewater is discharging from a pumping station near the plant, through a static screen, and then into the West Fork Des Moines River.

The Des Moines Water Works has been notified of both the Armstrong and Emmetsburg bypasses.

The City of Bloomfield, located in Davis County, discharged treated wastewater from a storage lagoon at its wastewater treatment plant to an unnamed tributary of the Fox River from 10:00 p.m. Wednesday to about midnight Thursday. The city discharged from the lagoon to prevent it from overflowing and to protect the integrity of the structure. In addition, untreated wastewater overflowed from a pumping station on Jaguar Trail, into a field and then into an unnamed tributary of the Fox River. The pumping station overflow began at 10:00 p.m. Wednesday and ended at about 3:00 a.m. Thursday.

Writer: Jessie Brown

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