Partially Treated Sewage Released into Galveston Bay

GALVESTON, TX — At about 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21, an estimated 135,500 gallons of partially treated sewage was released into Galveston Bay.

The release occurred at the city of Galveston's domestic Waste Water Treatment Plant at 5200 Port Industrial Rd. The sludge was released through the plant's disinfection system.

Since the plant is currently under construction, the exact cause of the control system failure is still under investigation.

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The contracting firm and its engineer are in ongoing communication with the city to address the malfunction and bring the treatment units back online and are working on a a plan of action to prevent a spill from happening again.

So far, the release has had no visible adverse impacts to aquatic life. However, fishing in the area affected by the spill is strongly discouraged.

The public should avoid contact with waste material, soil, or water in the area potentially affected by the spill.

If the public comes into contact with the waste material, soil, or water potentially affected by the spill, they should bathe and wash clothes as soon as possible.

The announcement of the sewage spill comes just a few days after the Galveston County Health District announced that multiple Galveston beaches were under a health advisory because of high bacteria counts.

The water around Galveston Island has had a particularly high level of bacteria recently, over the last three months there have been multiple reports of people infected with flesh eating bacteria.

There have also been previous bacterial advisories issued.
Additionally, a recent report found that the overall health of Galveston Bay is 'adequate,' but that there is definite room for improvement.