Broken sewer main dumps wastewater into Brush Creek

Wastewater flowed into Brush Creek Thursday night after a sewage main broke near Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard and Elmwood Avenue, according to authorities.

City water department crews responded to the break about 3:45 p.m. Thursday and found a 72-inch sewer main had collapsed, spilling wastewater into the creek.

The broken main was spilling about 500 gallons of water per minute, according to KC Water Services.

Crews were expected to work all night to build a by-pass pump to stop the spill of water into the creek. Repairing the broken main would take even longer, a spokesman for the water department said.

The main that broke was built in the 1970s and appeared to have been undermined by the shifting banks of the creek over the years.

Work at the site was expected to continue Friday. Warning signs for the public will be posted along Brush Creek.

Ian Cummings: 816-234-4633, @Ian__Cummings

This story was originally published July 15, 2016 at 12:08 AM with the headline "Broken sewer main dumps wastewater into Brush Creek."