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Sewer Overflow Prompts Local Water Concerns - A Top City Water Official Responds

City of Ann Arbor

When people hear about "water problems" they're paying very close attention these days especially in light of what is going on in Flint.

Ann Arbor City officials just announced a major sewer overload situation that spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage into a tributary of the Huron River.

I spoke with the city's water quality managerJennifer Lawson about what happened...

 

City of Ann Arbor public works crews stopped a sanitary sewer leak that caused some 400,000 gallons of raw sewage to spill into Malletts Creek near Washtenaw and Huron Parkway.

The cause of the overflow was determined to be roots that had grown through the sanitary sewer pipe, blocking flow.  City workers say evidence shows the overflow had been happening in a wooded area for about two weeks.

Lawson says the spill did not impact drinking water.  She says the overflow into the creek, which is a tributary of the Huron River, poses no health risks for recreational purposes in the Huron River either.

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— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU.  You can contact Lisa at734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu

Lisa Barry was a reporter, and host of All Things Considered on 89.1 WEMU.
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