The City of Bloomington Utilities attended to a potential sanitary sewer overflow Sunday following a report issued from a resident in the 300 block of South College Avenue.
An advisory was issued by the utilities department after assessment of the potential overflow.
“Once we had a crew out there and they were able to investigate the situation, we confirmed it be the overflow,” said Jon Callahan, City of Bloomington Utilities public affairs specialist.
The process of determining the volume of flow generated by the overflow was completed shortly after the initial assessment early afternoon on Sunday.
The City of Bloomington Utilities followed the proper clean-up protocol, according to a City of Bloomington release. However, residents in and near the South College Avenue area were advised to take precautions when coming into contact with untreated sewage that may have accumulated as a result of this overflow.
Any individual who has come into direct contact with untreated sewage is advised to wash their hands and clothing thoroughly.
“This kind of a blockage can happen a number of different ways,” Callahan said. “In this case it was classified as a fat, oil and grease blockade in the sewer line that caused the issue.”
The crew used a jet rooter — a large water jet used by most plumbers — to alleviate the blockage and stop the overflow.
“You insert the jet into the line and it shoots out a high force of water,” Callahan said.
Once the force of water was inserted, the grease blockage was dislodged, allowing the line to flow free again.
“Essentially, the problem was an untreated waste blockage that was made overtime,” Callahan said.
The City of Bloomington Utilities, according to the release, is committed to a more efficient and reliable wastewater collection and treatment system and reducing the number of sanitary sewer overflows is a major emphasis in that effort.
Most of the water was already evaporated up once the situation was addressed.
“This incident can happen at any time,” Callahan said.
Heavy rain seasons and excess water can sometimes be the cause of these overflows.
Scheduled checks on areas prone to heavy rain damage are conducted by the utilities department, Callahan said.
“In this particular case it was due to the sewage blockage, but every situation is different,” Callahan said.
