Advisory: Sewage overflows from manhole on SW 32nd Avenue into Fanno Creek tributary
Sanitary Sewage Release Advisory (this is not a combined sewer overflow [CSO] advisory)
(January 23, 2017) - Sewer maintenance crews responded today to reports of sewage coming from a manhole on SW 32nd Avenue near SW Nebraska Street. They determined that 750 gallons of sewage flowed from the manhole to a nearby storm drain and into an unnamed tributary of Fanno Creek.
Crews stopped the flow and are investigating the cause.
As a precaution, the public is advised to avoid contact with the tributary and nearby Fanno Creek for 48 hours.
The City of Portland treats an average of 70 million gallons of wastewater each day. Over one-third of Portland’s more than 2,500 miles of sewer pipes are over 80 years old. Pipes that fail or become blocked with grease, tree roots, and debris can cause sewage overflows. The sewage release in southwest Portland is not related to Portland’s combined sewer overflow control system.
The Bureau of Environmental Services provides city residents with programs to protect water quality and public health, including wastewater collection and treatment, sewer construction and maintenance, stormwater management, and stream and watershed restoration.
Media contact: Diane Dulken at 503-823-6724, diane.dulken@portlandoregon.gov