Equipment Failure Causes Sewage Spill At Housing Complex

A malfunctioning private sewage pumping station located at an assisted-living complex on Mt Pleasant Road resulted in a sewage spill there on the morning of Sunday, August 5, prompting three volunteer fire companies to be dispatched to the scene.

At 10:38 am, Hawleyville firefighters were dispatched to The Homesteads at Newtown, followed by Newtown Hook & Ladder and Dodgingtown firefighters. The 100-unit rental assisted-living complex at 166 Mt Pleasant Road opened for business in March 2001. The town constructed the first leg of the Hawleyville sewer system to provide wastewater disposal for The Homesteads.

Town Health Director Donna Culbert was alerted of the sewage spill, after which she went to the scene to inspect the problem.

She termed the situation a “fairly limited spill” stemming from an equipment failure at the sewage pumping station. The station is located at the driveway entrance to the complex.

The equipment failure caused an unspecified amount of sewage to bubble up through the holes in a manhole cover and also enter stormwater catch basins.

A sewage pumper was called to the scene to remove the spilled sewage, Ms Culbert said.

Because the problem was quickly discovered after it occurred, the situation did not pose a public health risk, she said. Ms Culbert noted that a similar sewage spill occurred in the past at The Homesteads.

Ms Culbert said she expects that the problem on August 5 stemmed from inadequate maintenance at the private sewage pumping station. She said she will write a letter to the complex’s owners explaining the need for properly maintaining the sewage-handling equipment.