Tests following a sewage leak into the Mississippi River from a pipe in Fridley show that E. coli bacteria levels are "near or less than the state standard at which waters are considered suitable for public contact and recreation," according to the Met Council, which operates the pipe.

Signs banning recreation in the river will come down, according to Metropolitan Council Environmental Services spokesperson Tim O'Donnell:

Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES), operator of the metro-area wastewater collection and treatment system, has determined that last week’s wastewater spill has dissipated and that water quality in the Fridley reach of the Mississippi River has returned to normal.  This conclusion is based on MCES’s water quality testing at the spill site, at an upstream control site to attain background readings for the river, and at three locations ranging up to approximately 2 miles downstream of the spill.  Water quality tests were conducted on June 21, June 22, June 23, and June 25. Test results from June 25 show that:

• Bacteria counts at the spill site and at downstream locations were very comparable to background levels at the upstream testing site.
• E. coli bacteria counts at all testing sites were near or less than the state standard at which waters are considered suitable for public contact and recreation.

Signs warning the public about the wastewater spill are being removed this week.  Work is continuing this week to inspect and repair the leak in the sewer pipe.

MCES responded the afternoon of June 21 to wastewater spilling from one of its regional sanitary sewer pipes into the Mississippi River near the Hartman Circle area of the city of Fridley.  MCES quickly diverted the wastewater flow from the leaking pipe into an adjacent stand-by pipe.  The wastewater discharge to the river ended at 2 a.m. on June 22.