The CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is urging people to avoid parts of the Connecticut River after hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage spilled into it.
The CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is urging people to avoid parts of the Connecticut River after hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage spilled into it.
DEEP officials said a major sewage line break was reported in East Windsor, and people are being advised to avoid doing anything in the water from East Windsor downstream to at least Hartford.
The break was reported in the area of South Water Street Thursday. East Windsor town officials discovered the break in a large sanitary sewer line located adjacent to the Connecticut River.
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Because of the break, about 300,000 gallons of untreated sewage could go directly into the river each day.
It's unknown when the issue is expected to be resolved, but officials say emergency repairs are underway.
People are being advised to avoid any recreational activities where you could come in contact with the river. This includes fishing and boating.
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"DEEP takes the health and safety of every Connecticut resident seriously. We are working closely with the Town of East Windsor and other partners to ensure the situation is resolved as quickly as possible and that the public remains informed," DEEP said in a statement.
East Windsor's First Selectman Jason Bowsza told NBC Connecticut that the infrastructure is old, and it's unknown whether the state of town will pay for repairs.
"It could simply be a product of wear and tear, it could be a number of things and anything more than that would be speculative," Bowsza said.
Bowsza said officials can't put a bypass in until the trees and cleared.
DEEP said they're conducting additional environmental monitoring and water quality assessments to see if any further action is needed.
"It's not a good thing to have sewage going into our waterways," Meg Harvey, of Windsor, said.
"Pretty nasty," Kersten Stelmach, of Windsor, said.
