Officials working to manage sewage leak in Mankato on Tuesday

The City of Mankato is asking residents to stay away from an area in the Rasmussen Woods due to a sewage leak.

A Tuesday post on Facebook from the city is advising people to avoid Viking Ravine and Barnes Creek until further notice. Officials say recent flooding caused a steep hillside to become unstable and give way, which broke a clay sanitary line at the bottom of the ravine.

Although the public is being asked to avoid the area, city officials say drinking water is safe to consume.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is working with the city to monitor, clean up and repair the leaking sewage line, but city officials say their primary focus at the moment is making repairs to stop the leak, which is flowing at 15 gallons per minute.

“The area is difficult to access and poses numerous challenges for heavy equipment. It will take multiple truckloads to clear the landslide and provide crews access to the line. This temporary solution is expected to take at least one week,” the Facebook post added.

The clay line that broke is over 70 years old and is set to be “abandoned” when the new Viking Ravine Lift Station is constructed by the end of this year.

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