MOLINE, Ill. — Around 10:30 Monday morning, the Moline Water Pollution Control reported "an unscheduled overflow or bypass event" to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. This occurs when untreated sewage is discharged from a sanitary collection system to the surface, such as the ground or a body of water.
In an email to News 8, a spokesperson for the city said around 50,000 and 75,000 gallons of untreated water "was released into a ditch that runs into the Rock River channel." It occurred near the 2800 block of 48th Avenue.
The email stated the event was due to heavy rain and equipment failure. An electric component is supposed to open a gate to an "excess flow basin" but failed to do so. This, combined with the 2.1 inches of rain within a short time period, caused the overflow.
The spokesperson informed News 8 that a replacement for the part that malfunctioned is on backorder and will be replaced.
The Illinois EPA acknowledged the report at 12:45 p.m. on Monday and said if further information was needed, it would reach out. According to the email, it has not requested additional information from the city since seeing the report Monday afternoon.
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