ANN ARBOR – An estimated 50 gallons of sanitary sewage was released onto South Main Street on Wednesday morning after a contractor’s attempt to divert the sanitary sewer flow failed.
This is the second incident to occur at the same site since Feb. 22, when an estimated 10,000 gallons of sewage was released onto South Main Street as a result of a failure during an ongoing sanitary sewer relining project. That overflow caused all lanes of traffic on the street to shut down.
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The sewage ultimately reached the Huron River and Allen Creek.
“The pipe was diverting sanitary sewer flow while the contractor cleaned the sanitary sewer main in advance of lining the pipe,” reads a news release. “The release occurred when the contractor was removing sections of the bypass pipe for removal and transitioning to the next work location.”
The lining project has been temporarily suspended while authorities investigate the incident to ensure proper contingency and safety measures are in place so that work can resume. The contractor will be charged with all costs to the city related to the incident.
The city of Ann Arbor notified the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy of the incident, in accordance with protocols.