BATTLE CREEK - About 20,000 gallons of waste water was bypassed into the Maple River after a lightning strike disabled a lift station in Battle Creek.
Lightning struck the lift station sometime early on Tuesday morning, August 1st. The city was able to restore power and repair one of the lift station pumps by 2 p.m. on Tuesday, stopping the discharge. A second pump has been sent for repairs.
Because of the dilute nature of the waste water and the water flows in the river, the city did not expect dangers to downstream water uses or aquatic life.
However, the downstream public water supplies in Council Bluffs and Omaha have been notified.