A sewer mainline broke early Monday morning near Zimovia Highway, allowing about 20,000 gallons of raw sewage into Wrangell’s inner harbor.
The break happened near the Zimovia Highway and Case Avenue intersection. The Public Works department was notified around 6:30 a.m.
Public Works Director Amber Al-Haddad said crews repaired the break by 11 a.m.
“Everyone should be aware that there could be raw sewage in the waters around Wrangell and should limit their recreational activity in the water until further notice,” Al-Haddad said.
Crews shut off two sewage pumps during the fix, causing the overflow. One pump near City Park didn’t overflow, but the other pump, which handles all of downtown Wrangell’s sewage, did.
Al-Haddad said the Environmental Protection Agency and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation have been notified. Public Works is still waiting for a response.
Public Works will test the water in the harbor and update the public with the results. This comes on the heels of Wrangell’s water crisis. The borough assembly declared a local emergency disaster in July as the water plant struggles to keep up with demand for treated water.
