ARCHIVE SITE - Last updated Jan. 19, 2017. Please visit www.NACWA.org for the latest NACWA information.
ARCHIVE SITE - Last updated Jan. 19, 2017. Please visit www.NACWA.org for the latest NACWA information.
Ron Seely Like soldiers surrounded by an encroaching enemy, Zibell and his workers had no choice but to shut down the plant's pumps and electronics and retreat. The plant has been inoperable since and the 1.3 million gallons a day of sewage that the plant normally processes is being pumped untreated into the Baraboo River. Of all the impacts of the floods that have slammed the Upper Midwest the past two weeks, one of the most unpleasant and potentially unhealthy has to be the millions of gallons of raw sewage that flooded treatment plants have been forced to divert into local waters. Flooding in 2004 led 130 communities to release untreated sewage, according to Todd Ambs, director of the DNR 's water division. But Ambs said those were scattered widely across the state and most were not as serious either in frequency or volume as this year 's spills. "What a mess," said Ken Johnson, water leader for the DNR 's South Central Region. While receding waters have allowed many of the plants to operate normally once again, some damaged treatment systems, such as Reedsburg 's, continue to dump sewage. Among the others still reporting discharges by week 's end were those along the flooded reaches of the Rock River. Sickness dangers The most immediate health threat, according to public health experts, comes from direct contact with sewage that is pumped into waterways, especially lakes and streams that are popular for swimming, boating and fishing. The raw sewage contains pathogens that can cause stomach illnesses and diarrhea, according to Tommye Schneider, director of environmental health for the Madison-Dane County Health Department. Kirsti Sorsa, environmental technical supervisor for the department, added that anyone with an open wound or sore who comes in contact with sewage-laden water can develop tetanus. Most susceptible to such illnesses are children, mostly because of their tendency to explore, said Schneider. Other threats "It's a serious situation," Young said. "I don 't think there is any floodwater that we can assume is safe." Sorsa said another health threat posed by the wastes -- along with the fertilizer and other nutrients the floods swept into the water -- is the growth of dangerous blue-green algae. In Madison, she said, where city beaches were closed last week because of discharges from the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, three beaches were closed again Thursday because of blue-green algae. Viruses in wells But Borchardt, who in previous studies has found viruses even in Madison 's deep drinking water wells, said communities with wells along polluted waterways, such as the Baraboo River, are probably likely to end up with some viruses in their wells due to the sewage. Most communities do not regularly test their water supplies for viruses. "Any community that has public wells along these rivers, like the Baraboo, is pumping this stuff," Borchardt said. Ambs said the situation is somewhat ameliorated by the heavy volume of floodwaters, which can dilute the sewage quickly. And he added that there have been no reports of fish kills, another good sign that the waste is not remaining at levels high enough to cause serious health problems. Ambs also said this biological pollution will break down quickly compared to chemical pollutants that can linger in sediments for years. Schneider and other public health officials said the pathogens thrive at body temperature and generally die within a week or so when released into the environment. But many treatment plants continue to discharge sewage even as floodwaters recede. Reedsburg may be unable to treat sewage for as long as a month, according to Zibell, the city engineer. Public notification "It 's obviously encouraged, ' ' said Ambs. "But I think that 's something that is going to be looked at." Ambs said many communities keep the public informed about the release of raw sewage. In Reedsburg, Zibell said the sewage is being pumped into a city park and then into the Baraboo River. He said the park has been closed and the public notified. In Madison, Jon Schellpfeffer, manager of the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, said the district worked closely with the city and county public health department to notify people of the discharge, a rare event for the plant. The district was forced to divert a total of about 1.5 million gallons of sewage into a number of local waters, including Cherokee Marsh, Starkweather Creek and Lake Mendota. Higher plant standards Tom Gilbert, a wastewater facility planning coordinator with the DNR, said no plant can be designed to completely withstand the kind of onslaught that many have faced in the last two weeks. But he added that design standards may have to be reconsidered. Plants, for example, are required to be surrounded by berms that protect against water that rises 2 feet above the level predicted for a 100-year flood. Maybe, Gilbert said, that will have to be higher. Schellpfeffer said such considerations are being discussed in Madison as the sewerage district works on a 50-year master plan. He said there is thought being given to increasing the maximum flow rates that new pipes can handle. That means bigger pipes, he added. Aging sewer systems Preliminary reports from the DNR show that several of the overflows in the last two weeks happened because of malfunctioning equipment. In some cases, the floodwaters simply overwhelmed pipes and pumps. But in other cases, pipes may have been previously cracked or damaged and left unrepaired, thus allowing water to infiltrate and swamp treatment systems. In both Baraboo and Reedsburg, for example, city engineers report at least 50 sinkholes -- an indication that a pipe beneath the ground has failed. "In a lot of cases, it 's out of sight, out of mind, ' ' said Schellpfeffer. "The sanitary sewer systems aren 't really visible. So some of these things tend to not get taken care of until you have an event like this." Some communities may pay a price. Ambs, the DNR 's water chief, said that while all sewage releases are illegal, the agency will take into account which systems had worse problems because of equipment that was in ill repair. Some of those, he added, may be more likely to be referred for legal action. After overflows during 2004 floods, several communities were fined. Milwaukee, for example, paid a $500,000 settlement, about half of which was for fines and legal costs. In Reedsburg, engineer Zibell doesn 't need the DNR to tell him what needs to happen before the next flood. He knows exactly what he will do once the flood crisis is over. "We 're going to get that berm up as high as we can," said Zibell. "We don 't want to go through this again." Water safety tips |