State of emergency declared in Magoffin County after sewer main ruptures

A state of emergency is in effect in Magoffin County after a Salyersville sewer main was discovered ruptured Wednesday, sending raw sewage into the Licking River. People in the area using city sewer service are urged to not run dishwashers, do laundry, take long showers or flush toilets unless absolutely necessary. Judge-Executive Matt Wireman said a Nicholasville environmental contractor is on the scene.

“They started going to a lift station about a mile away. We shut the valves off so we couldn't go into the sewer plant, you know, we had to go above the break. And we got above the break, and they got three vac trucks, and they’re getting ready to add a fourth.”

Wireman said the cause of the rupture is under investigation.

“The line that that ruptured and fractured out, was cast iron, had been there 22 years. Should have lasted a lot longer than that. Not sure why it degraded to the point that it would just bust out like that.”

Wireman said it may take days or weeks to determine how much raw sewage made it into the nearby Licking River.

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