A stream advisory continues until further notice for the Cottonwood River at Emporia and nearby tributaries after a sanitary sewer line and nearby streambank crumbled this week.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued the stream advisory around 10 am Thursday. The main concerns are elevated bacteria levels and other contaminants in the river.
The short of it: a 36-inch sanitary sewer line failed near the South Arundel cul-de-sac Wednesday. Assistant City Manager Lane Massey says there was more to the situation than just the line failure.
Recent flooding is the likely cause, and Massey confirms there has been some sewage going into the creek, although the amount hasn’t been determined.
Crews have to stabilize the bank on a temporary basis before “sculpting and armoring” the bank with riprap at a later time. Meanwhile, city crews are re-routing the sewage flow to nearby pipes. Massey tells KVOE News a permanent fix could happen soon — or it may not.
Residents and pets should not enter the stream until the advisory is cleared. KDHE says repairs will have to be completed and water samples will need to show no health risk for the advisory to be rescinded.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates. Click here for KVOE News’ prior story.
Photos by Chuck Samples/KVOE News
{gallery}Stream Advisory CS 062019{/gallery}
