Post Falls reports sewage spill

POST FALLS — The City of Post Falls reported an accidental release of untreated wastewater in the area of Polites Park and the American Baptist Church property off Ross Point Road, adjacent to Ponderosa Boulevard.

Craig Borrenpohl, Utilities Manager, said the spill of about 250,000 gallons of untreated wastewater was attributed to a utility power outage, followed by failures of the on-site backup generator and automatic emergency notification system.

The incident occurred at 8 a.m. Sunday and was reported at 8 a.m. Monday.

City crews responded to the lift station and returned it to normal operation, a city press release states. They removed contaminated soils and disinfected the ground surface.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has been notified.

There is no immediate health risk outside the affected area, but citizens are advised to avoid cordoned off sections of Polites Park until May 1.

City staff is reviewing backup equipment and emergency operating procedures as part of the investigation.

— Brian Walker