News Clipping - Adrian, MI - Bolt-down lids were installed on a sewer main - Adrian’s efforts reduce sewer overflow from Sunday storm

Sunday’s spill was a small fraction of what had been routine overflows of hundreds of thousands of gallons and sometimes more than 1 million gallons of sewage during heavy rain storms.

By Dennis Pelham

Daily Telegram Staff Writer

ADRIAN — More than two inches of rain over the weekend caused a relatively small overflow of diluted sewage from the city of Adrian’s sewer system on Sunday evening. An advisory to avoid contact with the South Branch of the River Raisin downstream of Riverside Park has been issued by the Lenawee County Health Department.

The overflow of an estimated 18,000 gallons of sewage showed significant progress in the city of Adrian’s effort to halt sewage spills in the River Raisin. Sunday’s spill was a small fraction of what had been routine overflows of hundreds of thousands of gallons and sometimes more than 1 million gallons of sewage during heavy rain storms.

“We’re making progress, but this one disappointed us,” said city utilities director James Caldwell.

A major rainfall on June 21 last year caused an estimated 858,000-gallon overflow.

The city has been steadily tracking down and eliminating old cross connections between storm and sanitary sewers that cause the overflows. Caldwell said bolt-down lids were also installed on a sewer main that runs parallel to the river in Adrian to prevent them from popping open when storm water raises pressure in the system.

The bolted lids did stop any large overflows from the sewer main, Caldwell said.

An 80-year old sewer pipe near Riverside Park blew out Sunday from pressure that built up as runoff from the 1.66-inch rainfall poured into the system, he said. Diluted sewage then flowed out of the ground and into the river.

Caldwell said efforts to separate the storm and sanitary sewer systems is continuing and showing results.

Flow monitors were installed in four locations in the sewer system last year. Data from the monitors will be analyzed to help locate remaining cross connections.

“We haven’t quit looking,” he said.

The county health department responded to Sunday’s overflow by issuing a public advisory to avoid contact with the South Branch of the River Raisin downstream of Riverside Park and to avoid contact with the River Raisin downstream of where the South Branch joins it at Laberdee Road. Environmental Health Director Paul Nelson said the advisory will remain in effect until water testing shows the river’s water quality is not impacted by the sewage discharge.