SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2007 WWW.KANSASCITY.COM
By RUSS PULLEY The Kansas City Star
Cedar Creek has been flushed clean of antifreeze that had been dumped into a Lee's Summit sanitary sewer and overflowed
into the stream. Recent tests on water quality show the stream is clear of glycol -an ingredient in antifreeze -after city crews used tank trucks to dilute the pollution, said Mark Schaufler, Lee's Summit director of water utilities. Schaufler said the city followed the recommendation to flush the stream from officials from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The amount of antifreeze in the stream was undetermined.
Schaufler estimates that cleaning the problem cost $1,500. There are two types of antifreeze. One, which is very toxic and can remove oxygen from water, can cause fish kills, said James Helgason, an environmental manager for the department of natural resources. The other uses a formula that is not poisonous but still removes oxygen from water. Tests to determine which formula was in the water were not done. The pollution could have come from a homeowner draining a radiator or larger source, Helgason said.
Glycol breaks down quickly in soil or water, he said, and after flushing none was detected No fish kill was reported.
Still, dumping of antifreeze into the Lee's Summit sanitary system is illegal. The city is asking that anyone with information contact the water utility department at (816)969-1900.
Schaufler said the problem was noticed March 14 when a homeowner saw a manhole overflowing in the 300 block of Stratford in the Hindsdale subdivision. A water utilities crew discovered a sewer line blocked by a rock tangled with heavy paper towels. The crew noticed the water had a green tint. laboratory results confirmed the water contained glycol.
Helgason said a department investigator had checked the paperwork of businesses upstream and determined they were not the source. Overflows from blockages can happen occasionally when vandals throw materials in manholes, Schaufler said. Because the city doesn't monitor for illegal dumping in its pipes, officials can't say how often waste fluids such as antifreeze, pesticides or oils are poured into its system. To reach Russ Pulley call (816) 234-7811or send e-mail to rpulley@kcstar.com