Two failures at a Wichita sewage site caused 1.7 million gallons of sewage to overflow into a nearby creek, spiking the levels of E. coli in the water, Wichita Public Works and Utilities Director Gary Janzen said Tuesday. “There’s no public health risk expected but residents are being urged to stay out of the creek and pond areas and keep their pets away from the water,” he said. “There’s no public health risk to the city’s drinking water or anyone walking or living by the creek, nor is there any anticipated impact to aquatic life or local wildlife.” A resident reported the overflow of sewage Sunday morning. It happened in northeast Wichita. On Saturday, a pump failure at a sewer lift station west of North 127th Street East, near Founder Circle, caused a manhole to overflow and pour into Four Mile Creek, near the Redbud Path. The pump has been fixed and is working properly, he said. “To add to that … our alert system that would normally alert staff that there was a problem was also not working at the same time, resulting in this overflow, unfortunately,” Janzen said during a news conference.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
