NACOGDOCHES, TX- Due to heavy rains over the weekend, the City of Nacogdoches Wastewater Treatment Plant has been overwhelmed and the capacity of the system is at its maximum. This has resulted in an overflow of rainwater and sanitary sewage at a manhole near the plant into Lanana Creek in excess of 100,000 gallons.
Texas Commission Environmental Quality has been notified and all required notifications have been issued to media and other City of Nacogdoches officials. The environmental threat is minimal as the overflow was 95% rainwater.
“Heavy rains in the area caused flooding conditions on all waterways throughout our system,” Bart Allen, Water Utilities Manager, said. “Our facility experienced the same problem as the system is rated for just under 13 million gallons each day and we received over 21 million gallons in a 48 hour period.”
The facility received maximum inflows of combined wastewater and storm water. To prevent flooding that would severely damage equipment and productivity, the plant went into “emergency bypass mode” but is now operating at normal capacity.
Upwards of 6 inches of rain resulted in 3 times the normal amount of water flowing through the plant. The plant is designed to handle 12.88 gallons of water per day, but at the time the overflow occurred it was treating nearly 21 million gallons day.
