Sewage spills into
Ewa storm drain
A private contractor broke a sewer line yesterday, causing 3,150 gallons of sewage to spill outside the Ewa Beach Wastewater Pump Station.
A backhoe operator from Frank Colluccio Construction Co. was doing exploratory work on Pohakupuna Road when he hit a pressurized sewer line at 9:30 a.m. and caused a small crack in the pipe.
The spill went into an adjacent storm drain that empties into the ocean at Ewa Beach.
The pump station was shut down temporarily, and the spill was stopped at 11:15 a.m.
Beaches and public access paths were not closed, but warning signs are being posted within 500 feet of where the spill occurred, said Tim Houghton, deputy director of the city's Environmental Sciences.
Ocean waters will be tested for contamination today. City workers are repairing the broken sewer line and should be finished by today, Houghton said.