Sewer spill clean-up completed faster than anticipated

Due to what City Manager Scott Sellers called "A quick, coordinated effort among multiple city departments and state agencies," the 117,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the Bunton Branch due to last week’s lift-station malfunction has been removed more quickly than originally anticipated and now the City plans to replace the fish killed by the spill.

A statement issued by the City today said "dissolved oxygen levels in the creek have returned to pre-event status," according to Public Works Director Harper Wilder.

"Work has also been completed on the electrical system at the lift station that was knocked out during last Thursday’s storm," the statement said. "Crews are currently　disassembling the pumps,　pipes and other equipment　used in the cleanup from a nearby landowner’s property."

The lift station failure caused incoming sewage to back up and overflow out of the top of the pump. It then flowed some 200 feet to the Bunton Branch, resulting in a contamination and a subsequent "large fish kill," according to Sellers.

Sellers told an emergency meeting of the City Council Friday "we are estimating it will take us somewhere between 10 and 14 days to halfway drain that creek to TCEQ’s satisfaction. At which point we will introduce more fresh water to ensure we have cleaned it up well." Today’s announcement from the City suggests it finished the job faster than that original estimate.

Mayor Todd Webster called that emergency meeting to appropriate the necessary funds to deal with the environmental crisis. The city approved the City spending up to $50,000 to clean the creek. The City did not disclose any estimates on what the cleanup costs have been.

Today’s statement said the City "is awaiting information from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regarding a decision on the possibility of being fined for the spill. It is possible there will be a fine from the Texas Parks and Wildlife due to the resulting　fish kill. The city also plans to restock the fish in the creek."

"A quick, coordinated effort among multiple city departments and state agencies resulted in minimizing further issues and getting the creek back to healthy oxygen levels," the city’s statement quoted Sellers as saying.