PORTLAND, Oregon — Early Monday morning, an equipment malfunction resulted in wastewater being released into the Willamette River near the Morrison Bridge, according to the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services.
Nearly 11,000 gallons of sewage were released into the Willamette River due to an equipment breakdown at a pump station, the agency said.
The Bureau of Environmental Services has issued an advisory due to potentially elevated levels of bacteria in the water. The public is asked to avoid contact with the body of water between the Morrison and Fremont bridges until Wednesday as a precaution.
The discharge took place at a pump station on Southeast Alder Street around 2 a.m., lasting about six minutes. There was another potential discharge that may have taken place around 9 a.m. for about a minute, according to the bureau.
Portland typically treats about 70 million gallons of wastewater at two treatment plans each day, and is able to cure up to 450 million gallons a day during storms.
Both incidents are under investigation.
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