BRITT — The Iowa DNR is advising people who live in Britt, in Hancock County to avoid a wastewater discharge along a section of 3rd Avenue.
While cleaning debris plugging a sewer line Tuesday morning, city employees pumped untreated wastewater from a manhole to the street.
Wastewater flowed about half a block until it entered a storm sewer intake, which the city believes eventually flows to the West Branch Iowa River.
The DNR is recommending that people and pets avoid 3rd Avenue Southeast between 1st Street Southeast and Center Street for 48 hours.
The DNR encourages cities and facilities in these situations to make efforts to pump the wastewater to the next manhole or find another way to transport it to a treatment plant.
The city of Britt cleaned the sewer line and stopped the discharge by 2:50 p.m. on Tuesday.
