Brentwood Library's Sewage Pumped Into Storm Drains For 9 Years

BRENTWOOD, TN -- For nearly a decade, raw sewage from Brentwood's library has been pumped into a storm drain which eventually drains into the Little Harpeth River.

The sinks and toilets from two bathrooms at what is now the John P. Holt Brentwood Library were inadvertently connected to the city's storm drain system by a contractor in 2009, the city told The Tennessean. That drain dumps into a ditch which eventually drains into a creek which connects to the Little Harpeth River. A city spokesperson told the paper it is unclear how much, if any, sewage eventually made it to the creek or the river itself.

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Brentwood water department staff discovered the incorrectly connected pipes during an inspection April 27 and the bathrooms have been closed since.

"There is no record of how often these restrooms were used. Additionally, the piping that the restrooms were connected to also carried water from the roof and a portion of the parking lot so isolating flows from the restrooms is not possible," Brentwood Community Relations Director Deanna Lambert told the paper. "The pipe combined both storm water runoff and sewage so it was very diluted."

Work to repair the pipe - and tie it into the proper system - is nearly completed.

Photo via John P. Holt Brentwood Library