
Roots Cause Sanitary Sewer Overflow, City Teamwork Leads to Fast Cleanup
An area on the east side of the City of Madison is clean after 300 gallons of sewage overflowed Friday morning.
The City of Madison Engineering Division received a report of wastewater spilling from a sanitary access structure at the corner of Acewood Blvd and Goldfinch Drive at 10:30 a.m., April 18, 2025.
Crews arrived to the site at 11:15 a.m., contained the overflow, and determined that the cause of the overflow was tree roots in the sewer. After removing the root obstruction, the problem was corrected. An estimated volume of 300 gallons overflowed onto the street reaching the City storm sewer on Acewood Blvd. Crews then cleaned up the impacted area including cleaning the street, storm sewer, and sanitary sewer in the area. Cleanup was completed by 12:45 p.m.
It is Wisconsin State Law to report sewer blockages and overflows.
This notice is provided in compliance with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Administrative Code and the City of Madison’s Capacity, Maintenance, Operations & Management (CMOM) Program.