On Tuesday, water was spewing out of a manhole at an estimated flow of 60 gallons per minute which is more than what a standard bathtub can even hold.
Extreme weather conditions caused sewage overflow off of A and 9th Streets.
With so much pressure, waste water was spraying out of a manhole.
“I actually thought there was enough pressure to push the manhole out, but those things are really heavy. But water was coming up five-six inches… coming out of the ground,” Grants Pass resident Marlin Foster said.
The parents of Marlin Foster live directly next to the manhole.
Foster says the city put a barricade around the mess to keep traffic and people away.
“They had a little sign on there that said you don’t want to touch the water because of hazardous materials,” Foster said.
According to Foster… septic items were coming out with the water.
But Public Works Director Jason Canady says it shouldn’t pose a health threat.
“It’s really important to know that even though it’s coming out of a sewage manhole… it is 99% rain water at that point,” Canady said.
Crews worked Wednesday morning to disinfect the area with small amounts of bleach.
While the overflow spilled onto the property of the Foster’s house…
“My folks were kind of a little worried about it,” Foster said.
Their son has a positive outlook on the situation.
“It’s beautiful to see what nature does, and with the amount of that rain we have… it’s just awesome to watch the mud puddles that you can go and run in,” Foster said.
The Grants Pass Public Works Director says the city hopes to replace some of the piping underneath to prevent future sewage overflow.
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