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SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. — The Northborough Septic Service truck that rolled over at 325 Turnpike Road on Wednesday does not appear to have dumped much of its raw sewage into a nearby brook that leads to wetlands, according to Southborough Health Agent Paul Pisinski.
Though the town's health department does not have the laboratory equipment to test the water, Pisinski said Thursday that sewage was not immediately apparent.
"I looked at the brook and could not see anything," he said. "Usually the tell-tale sign is grayish water."
The accident, which occurred at about 3:15 p.m., caused traffic delays on Route 9 westbound for the next two hours. Reports at the scene of the accident were mixed, with public safety officials originally estimating that about half of the truck's 3,800 gallons of raw sewage had spilled. However, Andy Curtis, owner of Northborough Septic Service, said Thursday that only 150 gallons were lost, and, of those, only 50 gallons spilled into the brook. Pisinski, who witnessed the measurements, confirmed this \Thursday.
"I would think that if the entire contents of that truck were to discharge, it wouldn't be a good thing," Pisinski said.
In large amounts, he added, such discharges have been known to cause algae blooms, which can be toxic.
But, given that the amount of sewage released into the water was so low, Pisinski figured that it probably dissipated and should not cause any problems.
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