Sewage spill dumps 40,000 gallons into Loch Raven Reservoir feeder

An estimated 40,000 gallons of sewage overflowed from a broken line in Timonium, Maryland, before it was repaired late Sunday, according to county officials. The break in the 12-inch sewer line was detected about 9 a.m. Sunday and was repaired by that night, according to Baltimore County officials. The county’s Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management has posted signs advising residents to avoid contact with the waters of Merryman Branch, a tributary of Loch Raven Reservoir. A county public works spokesman said that drinking water from the reservoir should not be affected by the sewage overflow because the water is treated. Officials suspect that the sewer line broke because of shifting soils in the area.

Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-sewage1211,0,6312536.story