OLCOTT, N.Y. (WKBW) — Newfane Town Supervisor John Syracuse says the major sewage leak in Olcott is now 'under control,' after more than 1 million gallons of raw, untreated sewage leaked into the Olcott Harbor.
For six days, sewage had leaked from the ground just off East Main Street at a rate Syracuse described as 125 to 150 gallons per minute. The raw sewage then poured into the Eighteen Mile Creek in Olcott, just feet from where the creek leads into Lake Ontario.
WATCH: Emergency under control': 1 million gallons of sewage leak into Olcott Harbor
In total, a minimum of 1 million gallons of sewage leaked into the water over the course of the six days.
"These things can fail through different temperature changes, pressure, who knows, I don’t think that we will ever come to an [exact] cause of this," Syracuse said.
Town crews were able to stop the leak very early Tuesday morning.
"Right now, the emergency is under control," Syracuse said. "We were able to do the bypass, so that finished probably around 1 in the morning… Most of these men and women, they were working first light, 5-5:30 a.m.... I know our guys at the wastewater treatment plant clocked out around 2 in the morning."
Until a permanent pipe replacement is set, a temporary, above-ground bypass has been installed so that the sewage can once again make it to the town’s water treatment plant.
"Now, what we’re trying to do is determine the best material to replace that pipe. We’re dealing with PVC or some other kind of conduit that would be better served in this particular area," Syracuse said. "I hesitate to give [a timeline] based upon supply chain availability."
