Sewer Lines Rupture In Trail, Rossland

Sat., April 8, 1995

From Staff Reports

In what has become almost an annual sign of spring, sewer lines in Trail, British Columbia, broke early Friday.

The rupture was sending stormwater and human waste into the Columbia River. Because the pollution is diluted by high spring flows in the river, it should not threaten the health of Washington residents downstream, said Jeff Dill of the state Department of Ecology.

However, the Tri-County Health District made local radio announcements informing anyone who might take drinking water from the river that there could be bacterial contamination.

The spill was reported as 1 million gallons. Provincial environmental officials said it probably was closer to 2.5 million gallons, Dill said.

Victor Kumar, Trail city treasurer, said the spill was caused by a mechanical failure in a pump station. It was expected to be fixed by late Friday, he said.

There’s already a program under way to replace the pump station, Kumar said.

Heavy spring runoff routinely overloads the aging sewer systems in Trail and nearby Rossland, which do not have the higher levels of sewage treatment required in the United States. That’s been a sore point with people concerned about water quality in Lake Roosevelt, the Columbia River reservoir downstream.

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