A sewer line break that's dumped an estimated 1.8 million gallons of raw sewage into a North Texas creek is expected to close a stretch of rural road for up to two weeks while a repair is made, city officials say.[[340242672,R]]
A section of North Street, west of North Main Street and downtown Mansfield, will be closed while utility crews repair a ruptured 30-inch sewer line that has dumped an estimated 1.8 million gallons of sewage into Walnut Creek.
City officials said the leak has been contained and that a bypass will be installed Wednesday to serve as a temporary sewer line until a permanent fix is in place. The permanent fix could take several weeks to complete.
Officials added that the sewer line break has not impacted potable water and that the drinking water is perfectly safe to use.
The line ruptured after recent storms that resulted "in the banks of a drainage swell that feeds into Walnut Creek giving way," utility officials said in a statement Wednesday.
"Utility Division officials estimate the extended rains and soil saturation undermined the support of the sewer main causing the break. Crews located the break during a routine inspection of the sewer interceptor."
The utility department estimates 1.8 million gallons of sewage has spilled "some distance downstream of North Street," though the impacted area appears to be limited to the creek itself.
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"Crews have damned the banks of the swell at the creek and have pumped the sewage back into the sewer system. Now the work is beginning on a permanent repair," officials said.
Residents are advised to avoid exposure to the creek until the issue is resolved. A creek cleanup event scheduled for this weekend has, understandably, been canceled.
Officials said the road could be closed for up to two weeks while the repair to the line is made.
NBC 5 's Tim Ciesco contributed to this report.
