The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is investigating the environmental impact of a broken sewer line in Jefferson County that has been releasing raw sewage into a tributary of the Meramac River since last Thursday. City officials reported on April 2nd that a leaky sewer line along Neff Road in St Clair broke and was releasing about a gallon of untreated sewage an hour. At that time, officials outlined steps they expected St. Clair to take to contain the release. But when inspectors visited the site on Tuesday of this week, they found that none of the steps had been taken and sewage was still being released.   DNR staff remained to begin field testing and sampling to determine the extent of the environmental damage caused by the release.

The department considers discharges of wastewater from sanitary sewer collection systems to be threats to public health and the environment, which can contaminate lakes and streams, causing serious water quality problems. For more, contact the DNR’s Water Protection Program at 573-751-1300 or 800-361-4827 or visit their Web site at www.dnr.mo.gov.  To report any environmental emergency, including sewage overflows, please contact the DNR spill line at 573-634-2436.