Coralville sewage no longer flowing from broken line

Coralville officials have rerouted wastewater from a broken sewer line and expected to stop discharge into Muddy Creek Friday, Dec. 31, 2010.

Crews from Maxwell Construction in Iowa City installed a pump that has now been connected to the sewer main, diverting wastewater away from a break discovered Wednesday, said Jerry McAtee, Coralville assistant wastewater superintendent.

Electrical workers started connecting power to the new system Friday at about 2 p.m. City officials will decide next week whether a long-term fix is needed for the sewage lift station in the 2100 block of Brown Deer Road in Coralville.

“We may need to decide if we need more capacity,” McAtee said.

About 320,000 gallons of wastewater per day goes through the pump station, but there's no way to meter how much waste has gone into Muddy Creek and then the Iowa River, he said.

The break was reported to the city about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday after someone saw sewage coming out of a manhole.

The DNR asks parents to keep children and pets away from the area to avoid potential contact with wastewater.

It's been a rough week for Coralville's water treatment department.

Brian Lamansky, the city's wastewater superintendent, suffered injuries including a broken leg Monday, Dec. 24, 2010, in an explosion at the wastewater treatment facility at 750 22nd Ave. Lamansky was working on the roof of the sludge storage facility when methane buildup led to a blast that blew a hole in the building's roof and shook the surrounding area.