500,000 gallons of treated sewage spills into Willamette River

LAKE OSWEGO Ore. (KPTV) - Around 500,000 gallons of treated sewage spilled into the Willamette River near Lake Oswego’s Foothills Park early on Monday morning.

People were warned to stay out of the river around the park for 48 hours as a result of possible increased bacteria in the water.

The City of Portland blamed the wastewater spill on a mechanical malfunction at the Tryon Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.

A statement from the city said the sewage was all but treated and spilled before a final disinfectant stage took place.

A pump that delivers disinfectant failed around midnight and was repaired around 5:30 a.m., according to the statement.

Portland and Lake Oswego are working together on a plan to replace the ageing sewage treatment facility, the statement read.

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