BLAIRSBURG – The city of Blairsburg in Hamilton County lost all pumping capability at their lift station about 2 or 3 p.m. Monday.
After contacting DNR, the city installed a temporary pump to route untreated wastewater to a nearby farm field, trying to avoid a discharge to a small tributary of the South Skunk River.
DNR staff discovered this morning that some wastewater reached a tile line intake near the field, allowing an unknown amount of wastewater to reach the tributary. The DNR specialists estimate about five gallons per minute entered the tile intake but they are unsure when that started.
Water samples will be sent for laboratory analysis to determine the extent of pollution. DNR specialists did not find any dead fish or visible signs of contamination half a mile downstream.
DNR will continue to monitor the incident.