Ozark power outage leads to waste water overflow

A Wednesday night power outage at the wastewater treatment facility in Ozark led to the release of 162,000 gallons of partially treated sewage into the Finley River, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources said Thursday.

DNR's Springfield office was notified Thursday about a power outage between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesday that released partially treated wastewater into the Finley River.

The water was partially treated, meaning much of the solid particle matter had settled out, but the water had not been disinfected.  

The city will sample water at the point where the overflow entered the river, as well as 125 feet upstream and downstream of that point, until results return to normal, according to a DNR news release.

The wastewater release is the third in the last two months in the area. A blown fuse at a Christian County lift station earlier this month led to more than 100,000 gallons being emptied into a private pond in Ozark, while a power outage due to thunderstorms in May in Stockton led to 350,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater bypassing the facility and emptying into Town Branch.[[In-content Ad]]