PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A Manayunk restaurant has voluntarily closed one day after being accused of illegally dumping waste into the public sewage system, according to the Philadelphia Health Department.
John Teague snapped photos and video of the employees dumping a substance down the sewer on a couple of occasions since the restaurant opened less than two weeks ago.
"It appears to me that they don't have any way to dispose of their garbage, so what they do is pile it here in this alley, wash it down here, and they're dumping garbage here in this sewer," he said. "Regardless of what it is, you're not allowed to take your garbage from the restaurant and bring it out to the public sidewalk and pour it out on the curb."
On Tuesday, the owner of Hot Pot told Action News the pipes in the restaurant were clogged and that employees were dumping only mop and dishwater into the sewer.
On Wednesday, the health department investigated and said "the establishment has agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations."
Violations include uncovered food in the cooler, a defective meat slicer, a clogged garbarge disposal and mouse droppings. (CLICK HERE to read the full report.)
As for the substance down the sewer, the Philadelphia Water Department took samples from the sewer to see what exactly is being dumped.
"You should not be putting anything into the sewer other than rainfall," said spokesperson John DiGiulio. "Anything else is considered illegal dumping."