Storm triggers sewer spill

Published 8:43 am Thursday, October 14, 2010

MURFREESBORO — The remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole was somewhat kinder to this community.

On Tuesday, the Murfreesboro Town Council accepted proclamations initially declaring, amending and ending the state of emergency conditions for the town. Additionally, Wastewater Supervisor Ben Warren reported how the town and its wastewater system faired during the storm.

“We did get 17.3 inches of rainfall in five days at the sewer plant,” he said.

In previous months Warren reported to council that he had pumped down the plant’s wastewater lagoon to its lower limits.

He said the plant was back up to the two and a half feet that had been pumped down previously.

“We did have one overflow that occurred from the Cotton Field lift station up to Fourth Street,” he said. “It was estimated that we lost 72,000 gallons of untreated sewer, but that in turn going into the stream (and) into the river that was already flooded diluted it tremendously and there were no side effects; no fish kill.”

Warren said Public Works will be reporting it to the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Washington.