MMSD dumps nearly 30M gallons of combined sewer, storm water into Lake Michigan after heavy rain

MILWAUKEE -- With more rain on the way during the Labor Day holiday weekend, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District hopefully won't have to do a fifth sewer overflow this year.

This week, MMSD had to dump nearly 300 million gallons of combined sewer and storm water into Lake Michigan.

The main overflow consisted of 295 million gallons.

A separate overflow was nearly one million gallons.

MMSD officials said the overflows were done to keep sewer water out of people's basements.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for five counties in southeast Wisconsin beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, through 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1.

The counties included are: Dodge, Fond du Lac, Jefferson, Ozaukee, Sheboygan and Washington.

According to the National Weather Service, heavy rainfall of around one inch, with locally higher amounts may fall in a one to three hour period, which could result in flash flooding. The additional rain will fall in areas still experiencing record river flooding and lingering localized urban and rural flooding, and the wet conditions will result in a faster response to heavy rainfall, and quicker flash flooding developing.

CLICK HERE for the latest FOX6 forecast information.