A cracked sewage pipe and heavy rains around a sanitary plant near the Capitol Springs State Recreation Area led to millions of gallons of wastewater being released into wetlands on the South Side, the sewerage district said Tuesday.
For over 10 days between Aug. 13-22, roughly 6 million gallons of untreated wastewater was released into the wetlands near the Nine Springs Creek.
The sewage overflow was spotted Friday afternoon when a passerby alerted staff that water was bubbling up from the wetlands near the Capital Springs State Trail.
The iron pipe that cracked was installed in 2000 and expected to last 50 to 75 years, according to Eric Dundee, executive director of the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District.
The heavy rainfall two weeks ago would not have caused the pipe to fail, but it could have exacerbated a weakness already there, Dundee said. "This was completely unexpected," he said.
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Dundee said the leak has not affected local drinking water, but the district is monitoring water from the creek and working with Dane County, Madison Public Health and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on daily tests.
"Wetlands are sponges," District spokesperson Amanda Wegner said. "Any wastewater would have been diluted with the creek water and the marsh water, and it would have a very long way to travel."
On Friday, staff set about containing the leak, and a temporary repair sealing the pipe was completed Saturday afternoon, Wegner said.
The district discontinued flow of wastewater to the Nine Springs facility while the temporary fix was put in place, and the flow of water from the wetlands into the creek is being blocked as wastewater is pumped from the area back into the treatment facility.
Emergency and final repairs of the pipe are expected to cost about $200,000, Dundee said. The problem now is finding suppliers in the US or internationally that carry the fittings and pipe needed for repairs.
On Aug. 12, the day before the leak began, a pipe at the Nine Springs plant came detached leading to 100 gallons of wastewater spilling out of the facility. The two incidents are unrelated according to Dundee.
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