According to the March 14 release, NTMWD work crews confirmed a sewage overflow around 2:50 p.m. that day. The overflow was caused by a failure to a valve within the Lower White Rock Creek Lift Station, Assistant Deputy of Wastewater Hunter Stephens said, who added that efforts to restore the full capacity of the lift station are underway.
The context
Plano Director of Media Relations Steve Stoler confirmed that 1.5 million gallons of sewage spilled into White Rock Creek, a tributary for White Rock Lake in Dallas. He added that the city has not been notified of any adverse environmental effects yet, but the Dallas Park and Recreation Department announced a temporary suspension of water activities March 19.
“This is unacceptable,” Dallas City Council member Paula Blackmon said in a statement on Facebook. “[The] city of Plano and North Texas Municipal Water District need to invest in the maintenance and replacement of sanitary sewer systems that ultimately impact the North Texas region and our downstream cities. We must hold our partners accountable as we seek solutions that keep all of our waterways safe and clean.”
While the spill was underway, it was estimated that there was 500 gallons per minute of overflow. Stoler said Plano work crews flushed additional water into the sewage to dilute it in the aftermath of the spill, which was contained early March 16.
“We were really fortunate it wasn’t worse,” Stoler said.
What you need to know
Stephens said the NTMWD has crews working to restore the lift station, which is currently operating in a partial capacity. The station is expected to be fully operational in about a week, he added.
According to the joint news release, both the city of Plano and the MTNWD participate in a program with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to proactively maintain sewer systems and reduce the risk of overflows.
Stephens said the Lower White Rock Creek Lift Station received upgrades to its electrical and other critical components in 2020.
“This failure of the valve was outside of what we could have reasonably anticipated,” Stephens said.
What else?
Stephens said the NTMWD regularly monitors for overflows through a control system and also performs daily checks at all lift stations. The city has similar policies in place to mitigate risks of potential overflows, according to the joint release.
