City of Stewart Pumps Raw Sewage into Buffalo Creek

The City of Stewart, Minnesota, is dumping raw sewage into Buffalo Creek, which has been confirmed by council member Jason Peirce.

This photo obtained by the Central Minnesota News Network shows a Stewart, Minnesota city employee pumping raw sewage from the sewer line into the storm drain. The storm drain then empties into Buffalo Creek. 

The photo was taken in the summer of 2019 near Form-a-Feed in Stewart. The witness reported that this was done many times during the summer of 2019.




The Central Minnesota News Network called city council member Jason Peirce today. Pierce said that to deal with overflow of the city's sewers, the city calls the MPCA to notify them, then pumps sewer water into the storm drain, which then feeds into Buffalo Creek. Peirce said the water in Buffalo Creek is tested for amounts of sewage content.

Peirce attributed the sewage back-up on excessive rains and residents pumping their sump-pumps into the sewage drain system.

Peirce said that sewage would not be flowing to the flooded area where Bethke's property is, it is fed north of the town.

Peirce did not have an answer as to why the city's new million-dollar sewer system didn't correct the raw sewage back-ups in the town.