SEATTLE — A deluge of rain has overwhelmed Seattle's sewer system.
Storm water mixed with raw sewage pumped into the waterway the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Ballard.
A sign warned people to stay out of the water, where pieces of raw sewage had been seen floating.
More than 38 sites are known to overflow when heavy rains hit, including sites at Portage Bay, Lake Washington, the Duwamish Waterway, Elliot Bay and the Puget Sound.
"There's enough capacity in our system for sewage," Susan Soltzfus of Seattle Public Utilities said. "But when storm water gets in, that's when we have problems."
Raw sewage has the potential to make people and pets sick.