Heavy rains infiltrated sanitary sewer lines at two locations in Baltimore and caused more than 24,000 gallons of untreated sewage to overflow from Wednesday evening into Thursday morning, according to the city Department of Public Works.
A 12,100-gallon spill occurred in the 1700 block of East Chase Street and 12,300 gallons overflowed in the 1900 block of Falls Road.
"Rain gets into the cracks of these old pipes," said Kurt Kocher, DPW spokesman. "We are aware of the problems at these locations, when it rains heavily. We are addressing these issues and others with a $1 billion rehabilitation of the system."
The overflows quickly subsided, when the rain stopped and the rainwater diluted the spills considerably, Kocher said.
The Maryland Department of the Environment and the Baltimore City Health Department have been notified of the spills. Public Works has started a $1 billion rehabilitation of the sewer network, which will prevent spills and result in protections for urban streams and the Chesapeake Bay. It's scheduled to be completed in 2016.
For information about potential health concerns associated with sewer spills is available at the Health Department at 410-396-4422.