Raw sewage sent gushing in Irving after gate mishap

[TexasStooge]

By JIM GETZ and ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - Geysers of raw sewage soared as high as 4 feet, and at least eight manholes were launched into the air.

Bubbling dark liquid flowed across the ground and a stench permeated the air, prompting Irving officials to close a city golf course.

Before the Trinity River Authority solved a problem with a malfunctioning gate at its east Grand Prairie wastewater treatment plant Wednesday afternoon, southeast Irving bore the brunt of the mishap. The faulty gate blocked all sewage from getting into the plant for half a day, and the smelly mess backed up into low-lying areas nearby.

How bad did it smell?

"Take the worst thing you've ever smelled and multiply it by 10," said Len Stahly, 71, who played a full round at Twin Wells golf course even though the front nine was closed. He played the back nine holes twice.

The Trinity River Authority plant sees average daily highs of 140 million gallons, and state environmental officials estimated that with the plant shut down for that long, 50 million to 70 million gallons backed up. That's the equivalent of 150 to 200 acres covered 1 foot deep.

The major consequence: a potential fish kill downriver.

Workers at the Trinity River Authority resolved the problem about 4:40 p.m., nearly 12 hours after it was discovered, by opening the plant's only other gate – one that had been closed for construction, spokesman John Jadrosich said. That was done after an earlier attempt to use cranes and cables to raise the problem gate failed.

"We have two junction boxes on the east side of the treatment plant. Normally, if this had happened when both of these boxes were in service, it would have been no problem; we'd just shift from one to another," he said.

"But we've been doing construction on that facility, and there was a man-made obstruction blocking flow into the plant. It's literally like a big cork, to allow extended contraction to take place beyond it."

The faulty gate was highly unusual. Mr. Jadrosich said it was the first time a gate had malfunctioned at the plant since he began working for the Trinity River Authority in 1975. Ron McCuller, who has been public works director in Grand Prairie for eight years and worked as an assistant in Irving for 24 years before that, agreed.

"We've never had a situation with the plant like this, that I can recall," Mr. McCuller said. "There were times when we had a sewer line wash out because of heavy rains. But as far as the sluice gate going into the plant, that's a highly unusual situation."

If the problem had not been solved, all the customers on the system, extending from Carrollton south to Cedar Hill, could have been affected, Mr. Jadrosich said.

About the same time Mr. Jadrosich announced that wastewater was again flowing through the plant, enabling the backup to subside, raw sewage flows were seen in the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. He said the Trinity River Authority would be responsible for cleanup.

The river is not a source of drinking water; rather, treated wastewater is released into it.

Frank Espino, regional director for the Dallas-Fort Worth office of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, said the worst-case scenario would be a major fish kill. He said he had notified the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife of the possibility.

But it is up to the Trinity River Authority to report to the Commission on Environmental Quality. Mr. Espino had no doubts that the authority would be thorough.

"TRA does a very good job of monitoring things," he said. "They're very good stewards. They reported it right away that they had a problem and kept informing us. They know what steps to take when they have an overflow."

The other cities closest to the authority's plant – Dallas, Grand Prairie and Farmers Branch – reported no problems. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the major nonmunicipal customer of the Trinity River Authority, also had no problems.

But in Irving, city officials closed the golf course and nearby Trinity View Park, parts of which were submerged in sewage. It's unknown when they will reopen.

Residents were encouraged to conserve water and stay away from water in the Trinity River's Elm Fork and West Fork.

City employees on Wednesday built dams to prevent sewage from seeping into Twin Wells' irrigation ponds, said David Ryburn, the city's water utilities director.

[HurricaneGirl]

[Guest]

My God, those poor people that live in that area. Now that is just gross.
...Jennifer...

[TexasStooge]

The workers here in Irving has already cleaned up 1/2 the sewage.

[pawlee]

hey at least everyone got free lawn fertilizer... p

*sorry couldn't resist*

[Josephine96]

LOL Pawlee

[TexasStooge]

LOL Pawlee!