(Published Monday, March 19, 2007 10:14:47 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
Associated Press
MILWAUKEE - Sewage leaks that had flowed from Miller Park into Lake Michigan have been fixed, and the stadium's operators are now checking all pipes in advance of opening day.
Tests last week showed that sanitary sewage from some of the ball park's bathrooms was finding its way into a storm sewer emptying into a nearby river that flows into Lake Michigan.
But tests later in the week confirmed the two problem spots near private suites had been fixed, said Mike Duckett, executive director of the Miller Park stadium district.
Had the leaks not been fixed in time, the stadium planned to bring in portable toilets to be used by the private suites on opening day, April 2.
Duckett said that before Miller Park opened in April 2001, a plumbing contractor misconnected a pair of sewer pipes, one sanitary and one for storm water. That meant human sewage from several suites went into a storm sewer, which then empties into the Menomonee River and eventually the lake.
Duckett said the misconnections were never found by inspectors.
To ensure there are no other misconnections, Duckett said the stadium district will work with the Brewers' plumber to test all sanitary pipes before opening day.
The repairs will most likely cost less than $10,000. Duckett said the district cannot try to get the money back from the original plumbing contractor - Advanced Mechanical of Racine - because it has since closed.
The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District originally scheduled the testing after a genetic marker for bacteria from human waste was found in 12 samples of storm water from the pipe that discharges into the Menomonee River.
