(Milford)– Extremely heavy rain and power outages with the storms that moved through the Iowa Great Lakes very early this (Mon.) morning have resulted in several wastewater bypasses. That word from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ field office in Spencer.
One of those occurred at a lift station just south of Manhattan Point on the west side of West Lake Okoboji. The Iowa Great Lakes Sanitary District pumped down the lift station and hauled as much wastewater as possible to the treatment plant to minimize the bypass. Officials estimate that about 10 gallons per minute of sewage flowed into West Lake Okoboji. A press release from the DNR says all drinking water systems and a nearby resort were notified, as well as those living in the vicinity of the bypass. Officials say the bypass ended around noon today (Mon.).
The DNR Spencer Field Office says it was notified of an additional bypass around 9:30 this (Mon.) at a lift station near Francis Sites on East Lake Okoboji. That bypass ended around noon.
Officials say the city of Spirit Lake is also bypassing wastewater from its collection system to storm sewers that discharge into East Lake Okoboji. They say pumps are running at two locations on the west side of Upper East Lake Okoboji to try and keep wastewater out of basements. Residents in the affected area are being notified.
Officials say heavy rainfall can overload wastewater collection systems. They say there’s nowhere for the wastewater to go and can back up into basements through floor drains. They say bypassing the water level and alleviate pressure in the collection system, keeping sewage from backing up into basements, which could present health risks. The DNR says staff continue to monitor the situations and will provide assistance to impacted communities.
