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Trinity River Authority of Texas: Extended Rainfall Causes Landslide and Pipeline Failure

Posted on: Tuesday, 24 July 2007, 18:16 CDT

Persistent, heavy rainfall and high-river flows caused a river bank landslide along a section of the West Fork of the Trinity River in Grand Prairie, Texas. The river bank, approximately 70 feet wide and 100 feet long, including trees and vegetation, fell into the river breaking a 100-foot section of a 60-inch wastewater pipeline which resulted in an untreated wastewater spill into the West Fork. The landslide occurred about a quarter mile west of the point at which Roy Orr Boulevard crosses the West Fork.

The Trinity River Authority implemented an emergency repair immediately upon learning of the pipeline failure at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 24 and activities will continue around the clock until the repair is completed.

In the interim, a portion of the wastewater flow in the pipeline upstream of the break is being diverted to the City of Fort Worth's Village Creek Wastewater System to reduce the volume and impact of wastewater discharged to the river.

The pipeline that failed is one of a system of pipes that transport wastewater from portions of the Cities of Arlington, Bedford, Euless, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie and Hurst to the Central Regional Wastewater System's plant in Grand Prairie.

TRA has deployed a water quality monitoring team to take samples from the Trinity River to test for any environmental impacts.

TRA has notified the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) of this discharge to the river. TCEQ will be apprised of final outflow volume when the repair is complete.

While highly undesirable, the impact to water quality is minimized by dilution with large volumes of flood water in the West Fork. Outflow from the pipeline constitutes less than one percent of the total volume of water in the river at that location.

Downstream, the water is further diluted by flood waters being released in the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. No public water supplies are threatened or anticipated to be contaminated by this pipeline overflow.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Chapter 319 - General Regulations Incorporated Into Permits Rule Log No. 99031-319-WT Figure: 30 TAC ss.319.303

NOTICE OF SPILL FROM A WASTEWATER FACILITY

A spill from a wastewater treatment or collection facility has occurred.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPILL

Facility Name: Central Regional Wastewater System - West Fork Interceptor Section I-A-1

Contact for further information: Debbie Bronson, Public Information, 817/493-5122

Location of the spill: West of the Roy Orr Boulevard crossing of the West Fork in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Estimated time and date of spill: Notified at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Estimated volume of the spill (number of gallons): +100,000 gallons

Type of spill: Domestic

Area potentially affected: West Fork Trinity River

Suspected cause of spill: Combination of extended, heavy rainfall events and high river flows resulting in a shearing off of an approximate 70 foot wide section of river bank including 60-inch pipeline.

THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS HAVE BEEN TAKEN:

(x) Appropriate local governmental officials have been notified (x) TCEQ regional office has been notified The spill has been contained (x) Increased monitoring of water supply systems has been initiated The cause of the spill has been corrected Clean-up activities are underway/completed Other________________________________________________________________

Source: Business Wire

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