Jamesville (WSYR-TV) - The water of Butternut Creek in Jamesville turned orange on Friday after a pipe ruptured, sending sewage spilling into the water.
Crews released a dye into the water to find the source and location of the leak. The dye, in turn, gave the water a green color.
The break occurred directly under Butternut Creek, complicating repair efforts.
Officials say an eight-inch sewer main connected to the pump station sustained a break, releasing the sewage into the water.
The break was reported to the DEC around noon. The first step is stopping the leak. The town of DeWitt’s engineer arrived on the scene to help.
“They’ll pump it out of the pumping station into trucks, storage trucks…so that no more sewage goes into Butternut Creek and the repairs will start tomorrow. It’s a major repair, but it’s do-able. They’ll have it done within a couple of days probably,” said managing engineer Mike Petrie.
Some of the red sewage is still evident in the water. To repair the break, crews will use a directional drill coming in from both sides and sliding a pipe across underground so they don’t have to make repairs from the surface, disturbing the waterway.
According to the town supervisor, residents will not need to be concerned about their water supplies.
