Sewer main break closes South Airport near Logan's Landing

TRAVERSE CITY — A sewer force main broke Tuesday afternoon under South Airport Road near Logan's Landing, sending untreated sewage toward the Boardman River and closing the westbound lanes between Park Drive and Cass Road.

The Grand Traverse County Department of Public Works was notified about 2 p.m., 9&10 News reported. DPW responded with Metro Fire, the Road Commission, the Sheriff's Office, and Emergency Management. A DPW release, quoted by The Ticker, said crews found "an active sewer main overflow" moving westbound into the river. That stretch of the collection system "carries 200,000 gallons of untreated sewage daily," the release said. EGLE and county environmental health were notified. Spill totals have not been released.

Drivers told The Ticker they saw liquid that smelled like sewage bubbling through the asphalt. One eastbound lane stayed open. The Road Commission asked people to avoid the area if they could.

The Grand Traverse County Health Department issued a Level 4 no-body-contact advisory for Boardman Lake and the Boardman/Ottaway River from the lake downstream to East Grandview Parkway — no swimming, wading, or paddling. Health Officer Mike Lahey told The Ticker there is "no alert for the beach" on Grand Traverse Bay and that sampling would run Wednesday, Aug. 26, with results expected Aug. 27.

UpNorthLive reported Wednesday that the Road Commission said the main was repaired overnight, around 3 a.m. Road Commission Manager Dan Watkins told the station crews are checking how saturated the gravel is and whether the break left voids under the pavement. "Essentially, this could potentially be like Jell-O," Watkins said, according to UpNorthLive. Wednesday afternoon the Road Commission said both eastbound lanes and one westbound lane are open, with crews still in the area.