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Metropolis' Water Treatment Problem

By Chris Taylor

Metropolis, IL – Flooding from the Ohio River has brought attention to Metropolis, Illinois' sewage and storm drain system. Heavy rains last week overflowed the holding for almost 3 days straight, during which an estimated 4.5 million gallons of untreated sewage flowed into the river. The Paducah Sun reports city workers also recently discovered a crack in an underground pipe that's allowing an influx of river water into the treatment system. The leak means the facility is treating river water and is costing Metropolis more in chemicals and power. Repairs on the cracked pipe are expected after the river's level normalizes. However, fixing the overflow problem could be a long way off after funding proposals to separate the sewage from the drain system fell through.