TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka officials say the city will pay a $10,000 fine for the accidental release of 3 million gallons of raw sewage into the Kansas River earlier this year.
The $10,000 fine is part of a consent agreement reached between the city and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The city says the money will come from the city’s wastewater fund.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the agreement also requires Topeka to implement an emergency notification plan. That plan would involve warning residents of Lawrence, Olathe and Johnson County Water District No. 1 within 24 hours of finding a hazardous sewage release.
Doug Gerber, deputy city manager, says the April 17 spill was caused by an internal power failure, which has since been addressed “multiple times over.”