Rathdrum lifts water restrictions as sewer repairs completed

RATHDRUM, Idaho – Repairs to a damaged sewer force main in Rathdrum are now complete, and the city says sewer operations are fully restored.

Public Works crews finished emergency repairs after the line was damaged earlier in the day, the city announced at about 9:30 p.m. The entire sewer system has since been tested, pressure-checked and returned to normal operation.

Residents may resume regular water use immediately, including flushing toilets, showering, doing laundry and running dishwashers.

City officials thank residents and businesses for limiting water use during the outage, saying the conservation effort helps prevent significant overflows and backups and makes the repair process smoother.

“We sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding shown by the community,” the city says in its announcement, also commending Public Works staff for their quick response to the emergency.

Updated at 9:48 p.m.

The City of Rathdrum urges people to severely limit water use, as crews work to repair a sewer line that was severed Monday afternoon.

TDS drilled through Rathdrum’s main wastewater line just before noon today near the Post Falls wastewater treatment facility, according to city officials.

As a precaution, the city shut down all of the sewer lines.

City Administrator Leon Duce estimates repairs will be completed by 9:30 p.m., but some residents may experience sewer backups before the line is fixed.

“We may see the sewer backing up into some of the homes. So we started doing a door to door campaign with some of the staff to notify those that had the highest probability of being affected by that,” Duce said.

City staff are warning residents most likely to be affected by potential backups. Despite the damage, some wastewater continues flowing to the Post Falls treatment facility.

“We’re encouraging citizens to limit their water usage, mostly because the water goes into the sewer system after it leaves their home. Water is fine, there’s no issue or damage to the water lines, it’s only the sewer lines,” Duce said.

Duce said the city requested to be present when TDS began digging but was not notified beforehand. In a statement, TDS said it is cooperating with the investigation while working to complete repairs.

The City of Rathdrum wants people to limit water use, including not flushing toilets, no showers, no laundry and no dishwashers until further notice.

The city says vacuum trucks are on site to keep the stations from overflowing.

“We understand this is a major inconvenience and appreciate everyone’s cooperation in reducing water use while repairs are underway,” the city said in a news release. “The contractor responsible has been notified and will be held fully accountable for all repair costs.”

The city will announce when it’s safe to resume normal water use.