1 Million Gallons of Sewage Spilled in Nantucket

(AP) — Massachusetts emergency officials say more than 1 million gallons of untreated sewage has spilled into Nantucket Harbor after a “catastrophic” sewer main break.

They say the 20-inch mainfailed Thursday in several places on the island off the coast of Cape Cod, and they still were working to fix it Friday amid frigid temperatures.

Nantucket Health Department director Roberto Santamaria tells WBZ-AM they had no choice but to let the sewage flow into the harbor because otherwise, it would back up into homes and create a major health crisis. He says the harbor is covered in ice, so they can’t put out booms to keep the sewage contained.

Because ferries to the island were canceled, the Massachusetts National Guard had to fly repair crews out to the island by helicopter.

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