KENOSHA, Wis. — Heavy rain earlier this week overwhelmed part of Kenosha’s sanitary sewer system, forcing the Kenosha Water Utility to divert diluted wastewater into the storm sewer system and ultimately into Lake Michigan in an effort to prevent damage to homes.
According to the utility, the bypass occurred between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of 89th Street and 17th Avenue after the city received 2.78 inches of rain over a 48-hour period. Officials said the ground was already saturated from earlier April rain events, leading to excessive flow in the sewer collection system.
The Kenosha Water Utility said the discharge consisted of diluted wastewater and was necessary to avoid backups and potential property damage inside homes.
Sewer bypasses like this can happen when heavy rain infiltrates older sanitary sewer systems through cracked pipes, sump pump connections, illegal hookups, or other leaks that allow stormwater to enter lines that are only supposed to carry wastewater. When too much water enters the system too quickly, utilities sometimes divert diluted sewage to avoid sewage backing up into basements and homes.
Even though the utility characterized the release as diluted wastewater, any discharge into waterways such as Lake Michigan typically draws scrutiny from state regulators. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources generally reviews these incidents to determine whether utilities followed proper procedures, whether the bypass could have been avoided, and whether any environmental impacts occurred.
The utility reported that all sewer bypass events are disclosed to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Residents with questions were directed to contact the Kenosha Water Utility at 262-653-4300.
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2 Responses
It would helpful if the city enforced the ordinance regarding homes pumping sump water directly into the street/storm sewers. Just drive around forest park as an example.
I looked into this issue and was told that the cost to redo the sewer system in our city would be “too costly”.
And yet we are replacing the street car rails that nobody rides, building high rent apartments people cant afford and flying around the moon at a cost of billions.
Keep dumping raw sewage in our waters… wow…