DENVER—Colorado officials say raw sewage from three state prisons in Canon City spilled into waterways that empty into the Arkansas River from Sunday morning until it was discovered Tuesday.
State corrections officials said Wednesday that a sewer line serving the East Cañon City Prison Complex was blocked, causing sewage to spill into a wastewater lagoon and then flow into a creek that empties into the Arkansas River.
State health officials say there’s been no evidence that aquatic life in the river was affected, and the city of Florence hasn’t drawn water from the river in nine days.
State prisons spokeswoman Katherine Sanguinetti told The Denver Post ( ) the amount of sewage that reached the river is under investigation, but preliminary tests in the Arkansas River found it was diluted.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
