A lift station malfunction caused 3,000 gallons of sewage to be released into a storm drain near Waterfront Drive and L Street on Tuesday. The sewage was untreated, according to Eureka Public Works Director Brian Gerving.A malfunction in the Halvorsen Park lift station caused the overflow.“In this case, there are a few factors that came together that made the overflow happen,” said Gerving.During storms, sewer volume often increases. This is caused when runoff infiltrates older sewer lines with weak joints. Sump pumps and gutters sometimes also push stormwater into sewer lines, which is a problem that can cause sewage overflows.A power outage from a wind storm also impacted the lift station, which Gerving says does not have a backup generator.Read More
