http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_010192258.html
A broken pipeline was spewing waste water into Elk River on Thursday at Noel and will continue to do so until engineers figure out a way to either reroute or reconnect the pipeline, city officials said.
The break in the pipeline, which connects Noel’s wastewater treatment plant with a lift station a half mile away, was discovered Tuesday night.
A city spokesman on Thursday said it could be 48 hours before corrective steps can be implemented. The pipeline is in the riverbed.
Though officials cannot be certain, it is believed the pipeline was damaged by floating debris in rain-swollen Elk River. The Noel area received 4 to 6 inches of rain Monday and Tuesday, officials said.
Larry Archer, spokesman for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, said the wastewater is being diluted by storm-water entering the pipeline and by the floodwater in the river.
Elk River crested in nearby Tiff City at 21.03 feet at approximately 11 p.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Flood stage is 15 feet.