Fire Causes Wasterwater Release in Connecticut River

A weekend blase led to the discharge of two to three million gallons of untreated wastewater into the Connecticut River after a fire knocked out power at an Enfield sewage plant.

The state Department of Environmental Protection said no solid waste was released after the fire Sunday night in an electrical panel. But it said without power, the plant couldn’t fully treat wastewater that was discharged.

Full power was restored Monday morning, but the state Department of Environmental Protection advised people to avoid direct contact with Connecticut River waters from Enfield to Middletown.

DEP officials told The Hartford Courant that the heavy flow of the Connecticut River should quickly dilute the discharge.

They said there’s no danger in eating fish caught in the affected stretch of the river.