Wastewater Spill Fills Southeast Park Lake in Amarillo
We are learning of a spill from Amarillo's Wastewater Lift Station # 32 that has filled Southeast Park and the lake with over 400,000 gallons of wastewater. In a press release late Tuesday from the City of Amarillo, officials say that the park and lake will be closed through at least Wednesday due to the large spill. According to the information released, the spill has been contained and stopped.
Lift Station #32 is located along Osage, just south of the intersection with 34th Avenue. The spill is said to have occurred due to a power outage and the failure of their backup generator system. Power was restored and the station has returned to normal operation. City officials have estimated the volume of the spill at 450,000 gallons which included a combination of domestic, commercial and industrial wastewater. The wastewater flowed into a drainage channel along S. Osage St. and into Southeast Park Lake.
Crews have placed disinfectant throughout the spill area, as well as sampling monitoring of Southeast Park Lake. The park and lake are closed to the public until at least Wednesday (June 24) pending sample results. Necessary and appropriate actions in the best interest of public safety will be taken if needed and indicated by sampling. The regional office of the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality has been notified of the spill.
Lift Station #32 was originally built in 1964 and has about 3 million gallons of sewage flowing in daily. The station was granted approval from the city to be overhauled and rebuilt starting in the fall of 2019.