Overwhelmed Storm System Spills Pollutants

Albert City, Iowa, received nearly 4 in. of rain in less than one hour over the weekend, and approximately 200,000 gal of wastewater entered the Raccoon River as a result. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said the rush of water overwhelmed the city's wastewater system.

Albert City staff bypassed the polluted water from 10:30 p.m. Sunday to roughly 3:30 a.m. Monday, pumping wastewater out of the collection system so as to prevent basement flooding. The wastewater was pumped onto the ground, and from there it flowed into a drainage ditch that routed contents directly into the river. This environmental impact was not immediately known, and several Iowa cities resorted to bypasses during the severe storm event.

"Aging or poorly maintained sanitary sewer systems are particularly vulnerable to influxes of storm water. With sewage pipes overwhelmed, excess water has nowhere to go," DNR officials said Monday. "These types of situations can occur when large amounts of rainwater or snowmelt enter a sanitary sewer from cracks in sewer pipe. Sewer system upgrades can fix cracked pipes and minimize storm water entering the sanitary sewer system. However, like other infrastructure upgrades, repairs are costly and often take years to complete."

"Communities need to check for sources of storm water getting into the system and work with homes and businesses to disconnect storm water sources from the sanitary sewer, as well as inspecting their sewage pipes," said DNR Wastewater Compliance Coordinator Dennis Ostwinkle. He added that while many collection systems across the state have already or are working to upgrade, many more need to look into the option. In the meantime, the DNR has formed a committee to decide how best to handle the wet weather bypasses that were so prevalent in Iowa this summer.

Source: Storm Lake Pilot Tribune