Sewage Pump Breaks in Macy, NE

A sewage pump break in Macy, Nebraska puts utility crews in a panic for hours as they race to fix the problem and urge people not to use running water.  

Signs that say "Don't flush the toilet," "Don't run sink water" and "Don't take showers" could be seen all over Macy Thursday. Why? Because it'll all come right back up.

Joe Galvin, with Omaha Tribal Utilities Commission, says the pump had been hanging on by a thread and finally broke on Wednesday night.

By late Thursday night a new pump from Omaha had been installed. According to Galvin the pump is now up and running properly. Galvin also wants to assure residents that the water was and still is O.K. to drink.

Macy students were let out of school early Thursday but Superintendent, Morris Bates, says he's confident classes will resume Friday, especially since the pump is now fixed. Bates says if school is cancelled he will contact parents.

"The pump has been showing difficulties on the wiring system so we've been babysitting it, trying to get people in to get it fixed but overnight it just went down," says Galvin.

"Everything is going well. The important thing is that we remain flexible so that eventually we'll have school back on we'll deal with it and start from there," says Bates.

Initial reports said a nursing home had been evacuated because of the broken pump. But officials at both a local senior living home and the Carl T. Curtis Health Clinic/Nursing Home deny those reports and say that everyone is still in the buildings and they're OK.