South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

MSD crews repairing sewer main break in Oakville

MSD crews repairing sewer main break in Oakville

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District crews are working to fix a sewer main break in Oakville, but 75,000 gallons of untreated sewage have already entered a creek near Interstate 255.

Repairs will begin today on a sewage leak near Kinswood Lane and Marseille Drive that an MSD contractor discovered Thursday while repairing another section of the sewer downstream.

Roughly 1,000 feet of Martigney Creek has been affected by the 75,000 gallons of raw sewage, but before direct repairs on that leak can begin, MSD crews have to finish the original repairs downstream.

To minimize the amount of sewage that is being pumped into Martigney Creek, MSD has set up temporary pumping around the sewer break while they repair it.

MSD is advising the public to avoid the area while it is undergoing repair, with warning signs posted along the creek. Despite the break, the sewer district said there is no “immediate threat to public health or safety.” Anyone who comes into contact with the creek or water from the creek should immediately bathe with soap and water.

As required by law, MSD reported the sewer main break to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The sewer break in Oakville is the latest in a series of releases of untreated sewage into waterways by MSD. The sewer district’s Fenton Wastewater Treatment Plan came back into regulatory compliance only a month ago after going out of service and totally underwater during the historic flooding along the Meramec River in December.

During that interruption in wastewater treatment, MSD released millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Meramec.

The Grand Glaize Wastewater Treatment Plant in Valley Park also went offline during the flooding, but was reopened within weeks.