For immediate release: July 16, 2010

 

ELK RUN HEIGHTS DISCHARGING WASTEWATER

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Sue Miller, DNR Manchester field office, at (563) 927-2640 (office) or (563) 920-1588 (cell).

 

ELK RUN HEIGHTS — Mechanical failures in the Elk Run Heights wastewater collection and treatment system have led the Black Hawk County town to discharge wastewater to a drainage ditch for the past week.

 

To prevent the untreated wastewater from backing up into basements, the city began discharging the wastewater into a drainage ditch following flash flooding on July 7. The pumps in the James Street pumping station have not been able to keep up since then, even after the heavy rains subsided. This has sent an unknown amount of wastewater into the ditch, which borders Evansdale as it runs to the south along the east side of James Street.

 

The DNR has required the city to move the discharge hose 400 feet away from inhabitable buildings. The city is also required to pump standing water from the ditch and transport it to its wastewater treatment plant. The city will apply lime to the ditch to kill pathogens, and will put caution tape around the ditch, as people and pets should avoid the area.

 

The DNR is also requiring Elk Run Heights to investigate the source of the extra flow in the wastewater system and to develop a plan to prevent similar incidents in the future. The DNR may consider enforcement action.

 

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