The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is putting the La Porte City sewage treatment plant on notice. The DNR says a generator failed at the lift station in the La Porte City sewage system Thursday evening, and some five to six thousand gallons of untreated wastewater flowed out.
Workers at the plant then used a pump to move the sewage to a nearby ditch that is an unamed tributary that flows into the Cedar River. The DNR says if the plant had an emergency plan, the raw waste could have been transported to the plant.
The DNR says it will issue a notice of violation to the treatment plant for failing to report the discharge within 12 hours, and for a prohibited discharge of a quantity of sewage that could have been transported. The DNR says it may also pursue additional action.