Sewage Spilled Into Hudson Bayou

Hudson Bayou is seeing yet another sewage spill, this time from a fault air release valve, according to city officials.

The city's Utilities Department estimates that about 12,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the bayou Thursday afternoon and another 18,000 gallons was able to be pumped out and transported to a wastewater treatment plant. 

The Utilities Department received a call at 11:59 a.m. notifying staff about the leak.  It was repaired by 1:45 p.m.

“Every available crew member responded immediately to this incident and worked together to minimize the impact on the neighborhood and the environment," City Manager Tom Barwin said in a statement. "I’d like to thank the person who called and informed us.  It’s believed the leak occurred for less than one hour before we were notified.”

Maintenance on air release valves at lift stations throughout the City was scheduled for next week prior to today’s spill, according to the city. A lift station is being worked on for Hudson Bayou to prevent massive spills,

The current lift station was supposed to be decommissioned last year, The Herald-Tribune reports:

The spill occurred close to the city’s infamous Lift Station No. 7 on Pomelo Avenue, which was known for mechanical problems that led to spills of more than a million gallons of sewage into the bayou from 2004 to 2006.

Notices have been placed near Lift Station 7 and the Hudson Bayou advising the public about the spill, accoridng to the city.