After heavy rainfall, flooding pushed wastewater into lakes in Waseca, causing beaches to be closed. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has the story.

Waseca

Recent storms in Waseca have caused significant flooding, resulting in untreated wastewater entering Clear Lake and other surrounding bodies of water. City officials responded by opening valves to allow the excess water to drain into lakes, a practice that has occurred multiple times in recent years due to inadequate wastewater infrastructure.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has previously threatened fines over these discharges, and the city has requested state funding to upgrade its wastewater system. Despite these efforts, the necessary improvements have not yet been funded, leaving residents to deal with recurring flooding, contaminated lakes, and beach closures after major storms.

Flooding forces wastewater in Waseca lakes

are getting back to normal after a couple of days of rain flooding out the streets of Waseca that sent dirty water flowing into surrounding lakes. You saw those rain totals down there that Ian just posted. Our Corrin Hoggart checked out the tainted water which is still causing trouble for Waseca residents. The sun is out but the remnants of two days of storms are still obvious here at Clear Lake where wastewater that's untreated is still trickling back there into the lake. In the last 48 hours we've been deluged with rain and thunderstorms and tornado warnings. Linda Joy watched water take over her yard Sunday night as unrelenting rains pounded Waseca. I've never seen anything like this. I grew up in Key West Florida where we have had hurricanes but the rain here is really has been actually almost as much as a hurricane that we've had. This is my indoor swimming pool. Her basement is swimming in floodwaters too forcing her to get rid of anything that's not elevated. For her the storm was scary and the aftermath is a mess but some of her neighbors may have it worse. I saw where they had to open up drainage they closed the lakes. Several Waseca streets flooded threatening major damage to dozens of homes. Some residents tell me it was still pouring Sunday night when the water started receding which they recognized as the moment the city opened valves to let wastewater drain into surrounding lakes. The city posted a Facebook about lake and beach closure Sunday just as it did in June and last year and all the way back to 2016. In fact city leaders admit to pumping more than 37 million gallons of raw sewage into the environment since 2015. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has threatened fines for illicit wastewater discharges and the city asked the state legislature for 5.4 million dollars to build a better wastewater system. They haven't gotten the money yet though so every storm can create a dirty playground and jumpstart another round of pumping and waiting for weeks to use the beaches and the basements. This will probably be dry by tomorrow if it doesn't rain again. The city manager did not return my voicemails or emails today but I should point out that this water here is not sewage it's untreated wastewater so it's basically everything that flew down the street during the floods which could include fertilizer and animal waste and a lot of other gunk but again not your toilet water. In Waseca, Corin Haugard, Fox 9.

Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire proposal for Gaza, but mediators are still waiting for an official response from Israel. CBS News contributor Robert Berger has the latest from Jerusalem.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Mediators await Israeli response to Gaza ceasefire proposal

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New Delhi

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Austin

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Toronto

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Hong Kong Island

Ex-Hong Kong lawmaker granted asylum by Australia

Forecasters are giving urgent warnings to millions of people who live along the East Coast as Hurricane Erin churns in the Atlantic. The storm will not make direct landfall but is expected to bring dangerous rip currents.

East Coast of the United States

Hurricane Erin to bring dangerous rip currents to U.S. East Coast

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Los Angeles

"Ketamine Queen" to plead guilty in Matthew Perry's death

European leaders who converged on the White House for talks on the Russia-Ukraine war demonstrated a united front regarding Ukraine's security on Monday, underscoring the issue as pivotal for the entire continent, not just Ukraine.

Washington

Ukraine Invasion

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La Paz

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at the White House Monday (August 18) for his meeting with President Donald Trump and other European leaders about Russia's war in Ukraine. CBS News White House reporter Taurean Small has more.

Trump meeting with Zelenskiy, European leaders at White House

Hamas on Monday informed mediators that it had accepted a ceasefire deal proposal submitted to it the day before, according to international and Israeli outlets.

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Erin expected to bring dangerous conditions to U.S. East Coast

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Kyiv

Ahead of Trump meeting, Zelenskyy says won't give territory to Russia

Thousands of Israeli protesters demanded a deal to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas in one of the biggest demonstrations since the war in Gaza began. Debora Patta reports.

Thousands of Israelis protest in Gaza, call for end to fighting

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Paris

European leaders stress unity with Ukraine ahead of peace talks

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

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Anchorage

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San Juan

Hurricane Erin 'rapidly intensifies' to a Category 5

The Washington, D.C., police chief will remain in command of the local force following a settlement with the Trump administration over the federal takeover, but they are required to cooperate with the White House's immigration policy.

Breakdown