Politics & Government
1 Million Gallons Of Sewage Dumped Into Cannon River: Northfield
The city is asking Minnesota residents to avoid swimming in the river downstream of Northfield through 6 a.m. Friday.
NORTHFIELD, MN — Northfield city officials say about 1 million gallons of treated and untreated wastewater entered the Cannon River early Tuesday morning after a pipe broke.
The city is now asking residents to avoid swimming and other direct contact with the river downstream of Northfield through 6 a.m. Friday.
On July 2 at about 8 p.m., staff working at the city's wastewater treatment plant responded to an alarm after a PVC pipe broke.
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The break in the system caused sewage to enter the Cannon River between the 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Tuesday.
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The discharge is less than 1 percent of the total flow in the river during that time, officials said. Staff have been working continuously to contain the discharge.
The plant is currently functioning in "critical to stable condition."
Staff notified Minnesota Pollution Control Agency upon the discharge. The cause of the breakdown is continuing to be evaluated.
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