Around 1.7 million gallons of wastewater discharged from treatment plants after heavy rain

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — The City of Georgetown said rainfall this week caused domestic wastewater to discharge from two of the City’s wastewater treatment plants.

The City said an estimated total of 1.7 million gallons of domestic wastewater, which is described as rainwater and diluted wastewater, were discharged from the Dove Springs and San Gabriel treatment plants on Monday afternoon.

“There is no anticipated harm to human health or safety or the receiving waterways due to the increased discharge. Operators have not seen any signs of untreated wastewater at the outfalls or downstream,” the City said in the release.

The discharge was monitored by city crews, the City said. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requires Georgetown to provide information to residents on the incident.

Georgetown City Manager David Morgan said the City received nearly four inches of rain, pushing the wastewater treatment system beyond its capacity.

“I want to reassure our water customers that our water remains safe for consumption and, given the amount of rain the area received, do not anticipate a negative impact to our waterways,” Morgan said in the release. “The nearly four inches of rain we received in just a few days stretched our wastewater treatment system beyond its capacity. In order to ensure our customers continued to have access to safe drinking water and functioning wastewater facilities, we needed to discharge wastewater at a level that doesn’t meet our usual requirements for a short period of time.”

Both treatment plants are decades old and are undergoing or will undergo rehabilitation very soon, the City said.

About 737,500 gallons of domestic water were discharged from the 30-year-old Dove Springs plant. The plant is expected to undergo rehabilitation in spring 2024. About 975,000 gallons of wastewater were discharged from the 42-year-old San Gabriel plant. San Gabriel is currently undergoing rehabilitation, the City said.

Georgetown provided additional precautionary guidance in the release:

• Anyone using private drinking water supply wells located within .5 miles of the spill site or within the potentially affected area should use only water that has been distilled or boiled at a rolling boil for at least one minute for drinking, cooking, bathing, and tooth brushing. Individuals with private water wells should have their well water tested and disinfected, if necessary, before discontinuing distillation or boiling. 
• Anyone who purchases water from a public water supply may contact their water supply distributor to determine if the water is safe for personal use. The City said the water supply is safe for consumption.
• You should avoid contact with waste material, soil, or water in the area potentially affected by the spill. The City said it already sent crews to clean the areas after the discharge.
• If anyone comes into contact with waste material, soil, or water potentially affected by the spill, they should bathe and wash clothes thoroughly as soon as possible.