DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — The Susquehanna Township Public Works Department is aware and has been monitoring the flow of what appears to be raw sewage in Asylum Run, according to the Susquehanna Township Police Department.
Chief of Police and Borough Manager Joseph N. Hogarth told FOX43 in a statement that Susquehanna Township received complaints yesterday that the nearby creek had a sewer smell.
After going to investigate, the borough found raw sewage coming from a storm water pipe indicating a sewer line break, specifically in the East Harrisburg Cemetery, which belongs to Penbrook Borough.
According to John Repetz, community relations coordinator for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), sewage infiltrated the storm water pipe and discharged into an unnamed tributary to Asylum Run.
"Once the break was found, we set up a bypass pump from one manhole to the next to stop the flow into the break," Hogarth said. "This morning, an excavation crew started working on digging the site to replace the broken pipe."
Hogarth says he expects this work to be done "around lunch" on Thursday.
Penbrook Borough also brought in an environmental clean up company to restore the creek in the area of the discharge. Stream cleanup is also expected to take place, according to Repetz, and no dead fish were observed downstream.
The DEP will be following up, Repetz also said. Any possible further action will be determined after repairs and cleanup have been completed.
Questions should be directed to the Penbrook Borough Administrative Office at (717) 232-3733.
