Politics & Government

Updated: Sewage Leak Prompts Warnings at Mississippi River

A Metropolitan Council Envrionmental Services pipe in Fridley leaked 500–1,000 gallons of sewage, WCCO reported.

Updated. A pipe in Fridley leaked 500–1,000 gallons of sewage per minute into the Mississippi River Thursday, WCCO-TV reported.

The leak is north of Rice Creek, along the south edge of Lockslea, the Girl Scout camp on East River Road, according to City of Fridley Public Works Director Jim Kosluchar. 

"We got the report of sewer odor at about 1:00 PM yesterday from a resident on Hartman Circle," Kosluchar said by email Friday morning. "I am glad the resident contacted us."

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Although it happened in Fridley, Kosluchar clarified that

the leak was not in a City of Fridley sewer, it was in a sewer interceptor owned and operated by the Metropolitan Council on Environmental Services (MCES). Our crew followed up on a resident complaint of sewer odor and discovered the leak early yesterday afternoon. We notified MCES through the State Duty Officer, and they have been managing the situation since. They had a contractor working to gain access to the site last night, and will be attempting a repair today.

Find out what's happening in Fridleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The leak was "unrelated to any construction," Kosluchar said. (.)

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Council said at midnight that she would have an update Friday morning.

Signs warned people about the spill downriver from Fridley, WCCO said. 

collects liquid waste from haulers from throughout the north metro. The waste travels from there by pipeline to a treatment plant in St. Paul. The facility is  in an industrial area of Fridley, at a dead-end of Hickory Street NE, south of the Springbrook Nature Center.

The is in the southwestern corner of Fridley and takes in water from the Mississippi River.


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