Quick work stops sewer leak

SANDPOINT — Quick response from city workers stopped a sewage leak that could otherwise have put serious damper on local Christmas spirit.

Working throughout Friday and Saturday, the Sandpoint Public Works department repaired the failing sewage system. It expelled 7,500 gallons of raw sewage into Pend Oreille River at the south end of Third Avenue before a resident reported the problem.

“That might sound like a lot, but in the scheme of things, it was a fairly minor spill,” Public Works Director Kody Van Dyk said.

A faulty connection between a rectangular vault and a circular pipe was responsible for leaking the sewage in transit to the wastewater treatment plant. Fortunately, the leakage only occurred during periods of very high flow. In addition, the large amount of rain water and melted snow diluted the sewage four or five times over.

 “The most important thing about the leak is that it was so diluted,” Van Dyk said. “That really helped minimize the harm.”

The work crew managed to bypass the failure area with a rented pump while a pressure grouting and leak sealing contractor repaired the faulty equipment. The Public Works Department also notified the Environmental Protection Agency and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality about the accident.

According to Van Dyk, residents shouldn’t need to take any special precautions because of the spill.

“If this was summer, it might be a different story,” Van Dyk said. “But since the area isn’t receiving heavy use, everyone should be fine.”