Three sinkholes in one neighborhood in Harrisburg may have done more than disrupt utility services and force residents to temporarily relocate from their homes. City officials are also responsible for two raw sewage spills.
The Department of Environmental Protection says 1900 gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Susquehanna River on January 1. Two days later another 600 gallons spilled.
It was New Year’s Day that crews got to work addressing the problems associated with the two sinkholes in the 2100 block of North Fourth Street. And on January 3, the weight of a 33-ton excavator opened up a third sinkhole.
Environmental Protection officials say the sewage spills happened when silt and mud went into a sewer drain. The problem occurred in a combined sewage overflow chamber at Woodbine and Green Streets.
That intersection is close to the sinkholes. The spills occurred on the days of the sinkholes.
Still, DEP says there was little reason for environmental concerns.
"Due to the dilution factor that amount isn't really all that much when you take into consideration dilution and stream flow,” explained Amanda Witman, spokeswoman for the DEP. "Of the 1,900 gallons that was released on January first, for example, that only amounts to .0001 of the river flow which is very insignificant."
City spokesman Bob Philbin says public works discovered the malfunctions, took corrective action and reported them to the state as required.
Residents of North Fourth Street had water and gas service disrupted. Many moved out of their homes for a couple of days. Only to return home to find them burglarized. And now reports of raw sewage spills into the susquehanna river.
The Department of Environmental Protection says 1900 gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Susquehanna River on January 1. Two days later another 600 gallons spilled.
It was New Year’s Day that crews got to work addressing the problems associated with the two sinkholes in the 2100 block of North Fourth Street. And on January 3, the weight of a 33-ton excavator opened up a third sinkhole.
Environmental Protection officials say the sewage spills happened when silt and mud went into a sewer drain. The problem occurred in a combined sewage overflow chamber at Woodbine and Green Streets.
That intersection is close to the sinkholes. The spills occurred on the days of the sinkholes.
Still, DEP says there was little reason for environmental concerns.
"Due to the dilution factor that amount isn't really all that much when you take into consideration dilution and stream flow,” explained Amanda Witman, spokeswoman for the DEP. "Of the 1,900 gallons that was released on January first, for example, that only amounts to .0001 of the river flow which is very insignificant."
City spokesman Bob Philbin says public works discovered the malfunctions, took corrective action and reported them to the state as required.
Residents of North Fourth Street had water and gas service disrupted. Many moved out of their homes for a couple of days. Only to return home to find them burglarized. And now reports of raw sewage spills into the susquehanna river.