More than 1 million gallons of sewage have flowed into Little Fossil Creek in Haltom City since at least Friday, when crews discovered a broken line near the 2100 block of Thomas Road, just north of State Highway 121.

The breakage occurred after heavy rains saturated the creek bank, causing it to give way, said Mary Gugliuzza of the Fort Worth Water Dept., which maintains the 33-inch line. A manhole and about 40 feet of pipe washed out.

Service in the area has not been affected by the break, she said.

The problem was discovered Friday after a nearby property owner called to report a foul odor.

Ms. Gugliuzza said about 1 million gallons of sewage flow through the pipe each day.

Crews patched the line Friday evening, but that repair gave way, Ms. Gugliuzza said.

A second temporary patch was completed about 6:30 p.m. Saturday, she said.

“It’s going to be a little longer to do a permanent fix,” Ms. Gugliuzza said. “We’re going to reroute it away from the creek, and at least 100 feet of pipe will have to be put in.”

Some dead fish were discovered in a pond downstream from the site, she said, but officials don’t know if the fish kill was caused by the sewage spill.

Kathy Goolsby