CASSOPOLIS — The Cassopolis Public Works Department discovered Tuesday the force main that carries wastewater from the village limits to the City of Dowagiac was broken.

The break was found around 8 a.m., with public works crews immediately discharged to repair the break.

An estimated amount of 550,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled on to the ground in a wooded area away from normal human activity, about 1,000 feet north of State Street in Cassopolis. Pump trucks hauled wastewater from the upstream location to a downstream site to bypass the break until the repair could be made.

Disinfectant lime was spread on the entire affected area and pumps were returned to normal operations around 1 p.m.