Heavy Rainfall Caused Sewer Overflow In Shorewood

SHOREWOOD, WI — Heavy rain over the weekend, about 3.66 inches, caused an overflow in the sewer near Lake Bluff Boulevard and Morris Boulevard. About 8,840 gallons of overflow were released into local waterways, according to a report from the Village of Shorewood.

The rainfall occurred from Saturday into Sunday. People swimming around or near the Milwaukee River would be the most at risk of exposure, according to the Village's report.

Sewer overflows happened across Milwaukee County over the weekend. Multiple beaches were closed as Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District (MMSD) asked residents to reduce water usage during heavy rain fall with a Water Drop Alert.

Related: Residents Asked To Conserve Water After Sewers Overflowed Sunday

Shorewood's overflow amounted to over 8,000 gallons, but full numbers of how much untreated waste water was released into water ways across the county has yet to be reported by officials.

Shorewood's sewer system is split between a combined system and a sanitary system. Combined systems can see overflows during heavy rainfall because sewage and rainwater use the same pipes.

Since the '90s, new programs such as the deep tunnel project and downspout disconnects have drastically cut the instances of sewer overflows. Intense rain such as what was seen over this past weekend can still cause them, though.