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Sandy soil, rotted roots and burrowing animals were what caused a percolation pond's wall to give out in Livingston, releasing about 3 million gallons of treated sewage into the Merced River, according to a report by Condor Earth Technologies.

The report, attached for your own reading enjoyment, was given to me by City Manager Richard Warne a couple days back. It shows there wasn't any negligence on the city's part, though concedes that most of the evidence of what caused the collapse crumbled and washed away. It suggests the city regularly inspect for signs of erosion.