Heavy rainfall, combined with saturated ground conditions, resulted in the City of Sweet Home overflowing diluted raw sewage into Ames Creek, the city reported Wednesday, Dec. 10.
The creek flows into the South Santiam River just east of Pleasant Valley Road.
When the ground becomes saturated, groundwater enters the sanitary sewer system through
cracks and holes in the pipes, in addition to footing drains, and other sources of extraneous water from private property. When this…