Over 2 inches of rain leads Milwaukee to release untreated waste water
Milwaukee's combined sewers were opened up for overflow into local bodies of water late Monday morning, after more than two inches of rain fell in some areas. These water bodies drain into Lake Michigan.
According to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, an overflow started about 11:10 a.m., after the Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility reached 100% capacity.
As of 12:40 PM Monday, the South Shore Water Reclamation Facility also reached 100% capacity, and the deep tunnel was at 82% capacity.
Because the ground is frozen and covered in snow and ice, water can't seep into the ground like it normally would, according to Bill Graffin, the public information officer at MMSD.
It's unclear when the overflow will stop, he said.
MMSD has the ability to allow overflows to happen in order to prevent sewage backups into homes and businesses. Overflows are used after MMSD's Deep Tunnel fills during heavy rain and more water is flowing into the treatment plants than can be processed.
The overflow followed on the heels of the announcement of a flood advisory for all of Milwaukee County and parts of Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha Counties Monday morning.
Though heavy rain is expected to continue throughout the day the National Weather Service has said widespread flooding is unlikely at this time. However, experts have identified areas that are more at risk of flood during this storm.
More:Interactive map pinpoints Milwaukee areas most at risk for flooding, related health risks
These include small streams, low-lying areas and urban areas where drains and downspouts may have been blocked or clogged by snow.
The weather service also issued a flood warning for the Root River Canal at Raymond in Racine County where minor flooding is forecasted. The warning is expected to last until the early hours of Wednesday morning.
MMSD has started work on programs that promote the preservation of land along the bodies of water within the watershed, allowing more rainwater to soak into the ground or be otherwise temporarily held before being released into the system. But when the city itself receives large amounts of rain, there is nowhere for it to go when it falls on impervious surfaces, like concrete, before it runs into a storm sewer.
One inch of rain within the departments service area equals about 7.1 billion gallons of water, all of which can't be handled by the department's green infrastructure, leading to an abundance of water in the combined sewer system.
The combined system, which includes both storm sewers and sewage from homes and businesses, is then allowed to flow into local bodies of water, to prevent sewage from backing up into buildings and causing issues for owners.
In the meantime, MMSD is asking residents to use less water to reduce the amount of water overflow. The department is asking residents to hold off on washing dishes and laundry, take a shorter shower and empty your rain barrel regularly.
For more information about the overflow, visit www.mmsd.com.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Heavy rains lead to sewer overflow in Milwaukee
