Here’s what caused 4 million gallons of sewage to spill into the Ocmulgee River

The Macon Water Authority has determined the cause of the 4 million gallon sewage spill that led to the closure of a portion of the Ocmulgee River last week.

Construction debris forced down a broken manhole near the Walnut Street bridge led to the major spill on July 18 and 19, according to a Thursday news release from the Macon Water Authority. The manhole was damaged by heavy equipment.

The water authority removed a piece of 8-inch PVC pipe, a coil of construction material, several large rocks and pieces of the broken manhole cover during the repair of the blocked line.

“We can’t eliminate all sewer spills, but this major spill was obviously preventable,” Macon Water Authority Executive Director and President Tony Rojas said in the release.

Now that the spill has been cleaned up and the sewer line has been unblocked, the water authority will work to identify the contractors that caused the damage and seek reimbursement from them for the repair costs. That amount is still unknown, Rojas told The Telegraph.

The river was declared safe to swim in on Monday.

This story was originally published July 26, 2018 at 4:24 PM.