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Weekend Floods Cause Sewage Spills

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Oct 17, 2005 1:16 pm US/Eastern

Weekend Floods Cause Sewage Spills

Slideshow: Flood Photos From CBS4Boston.com Users

BOSTON (CBS4) ― The weekend flooding caused sewage spills in both Boston Harbor and the Blackstone River.

Power failed at the Deer Island sewage treatment plant, causing about 25 million gallons of untreated sewage to be dumped into Boston Harbor.

It took several hours for the plant to return to full operation, which forced operators to drain holding pools into the harbor. Otherwise, they risked sewage backing up into neighborhoods.

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority says the runoff consisted mostly of rainwater combined with some sewage.

A sewage treatment plant in Worcester County also backed up over the weekend and spilled millions of gallons of sewage into the Blackstone River.

Officials say the plant in Millbury was overwhelmed by the amount of rain water that fell. They said there is no major public health concern because the sewage that entered the river amounts to less than one half of one percent of the river water.

No public drinking water come directly from the Blackstone River. The river water is filtered through soil before getting to local wells.

(© 2005 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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