Three updates are available:
1) Snyder County Emergency Management has this update:
UPDATE: The contractor was able to install a temporary sleeve last night and the pipe should arrive today for long term repairs.
Due to a broken sewer main, all residents of Shamokin Dam Borough, Monroe Township, Penn Township, and Selinsgrove Borough are requested to limit use until repairs can be made. There is no estimated time of repair at this time.
UPDATE: The break is in a 20” main before it gets to the treatment plant.
Clarification: Ways to limit use would be to not run the dishwasher until it is full, only do laundry if you have to, limit time in shower, etc… This does not mean that you can’t use the toilet.
2) From DEP:
DEP Responds to Ongoing Sewage Release in Susquehanna River Near Selinsgrove…Public drinking water supplies in the area remain safe.
Out of caution, DEP advises the public to avoid contact with water for twenty miles downstream, including avoiding fishing, boating, swimming, and wading for the time being.
Williamsport, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is responding to an ongoing sewage line rupture near the Eastern Snyder County Regional Authority’s (ESCRA) sewage treatment plant in Selinsgrove, Snyder County. The ruptured sewage pipe is releasing raw sewage into Penns Creek, which flows into Middle Creek and the Susquehanna River.
DEP was notified on Sunday morning by ESCRA of the release after a 20-inch sewage pipe ruptured due to an unknown cause. DEP’s Emergency Response Team and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission responded to the site on Sunday. DEP will continue to work with ESCRA to ensure that the release is stopped, and that cleanup is completed as swiftly as possible.
There are no surface water intakes for public drinking water in the affected area and drinking water systems downstream of the incident were notified. Public drinking water supplies are safe and may continue to be used.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recommends that the public avoid direct contact with the impacted waterways, including the Susquehanna River for 20 miles downstream of Selinsgrove to the Liverpool area in Perry County. This recommendation includes refraining from recreational uses such as fishing, boating, swimming, and wading.
The Snyder County Emergency Management Agency recommends that customers limit use of their sewage systems if possible until repairs are made. This includes all residents of Shamokin Dam Borough, Monroe Township, Penn Township, and Selinsgrove Borough. For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s website, or follow DEP on Facebook, X (Formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, or Instagram.
Photo Courtesy Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper/John Zaktansky
