ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — City of Ann Arbor Public Works staff was notified of broken sanitary sewer line along Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor around 11:30 a.m. on July 5.
Officials say on-site crews discovered that untreated sewage from the broken pipe had spilled into a nearby storm pipe that eventually discharges into the Huron River. Crews were able to stop the flow to the storm pipe by 1:20 p.m. the same day, according to the city.
It is estimated that up to 3,000 gallons of untreated sewage could have been discharged into the river. Water samples have been taken and are being analyzed, the city said.
As a result, and as a precaution, river trips between Argo and Gallup canoe liveries are closed for Friday and Saturday, July 5 and 6, as the city awaits water quality test results. However, boat rentals are available for stillwater paddling in two-mile Argo and Gallup ponds, which remain open. Tube rentals are also available in the Argo Cascades.
City of Ann Arbor staff has notified the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy of the spill.
