A diamond in the ... sewers? Crews find ring in wastewater treatment plant

While shoveling debris out of a filter, a team at the Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant in Rogers, Minn., uncovered a diamond ring.

And it had clearly had a long journey, said plant maintenance manager John Tierney. He told MPR News host Tom Crann the band is now worn and pitted, but the diamond it holds still glitters like new.

For an idea of what the ring has been through, here’s what the agency typically tells people looking for lost rings:

“A ring is small and heavy. The part of our water treatment process that would likely sift this out would be the ‘grit’ removal stage. It’s a mechanical process with large volumes of water passing through every minute. Heavy items in the water like sand and rocks would sink to the bottom and down a sort of hole in the tank. That grit goes directly into a dump truck and is hauled away. To put the volume in perspective, we receive enough grit material to fill a semi-trailer a third full in a 24-hour period. Literally a needle in a haystack.”

Because the discovery is such an anomaly, Tierney and his colleagues are committed to finding its lucky owner.

Tierney noted since the ring was found at the Rogers plant, it had likely been lost by someone in the Rogers area.

If you think it could be yours, get in touch by sending an email to MCES-Inquiries@metc.state.mn.us. or calling (651) 602-1269. Be prepared to give a detailed description of your lost ring or photo as evidence.

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