Sewage spill may result in fine by TCEQ
BY LELAND ACKER

A recent sewage bypass on U.S. 69 in Alto, which resulted in raw sewage running into a pond owned by a local resident, may, or may not result in fines from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), but it has given the city a raw smell as far as the pond's owner is concerned.

Dean Perkins, owner of the pond, said he had been smelling sewage for several months but couldn't trace the smell down. He said he contacted the Alto utilities department and reported the smell.

"I thought we had raw sewage from a property owner who wasn't hooked up to the system," Mr. Perkins said. "(Charlie Luse, Alto utilities supervisor) said he thought it was a bigger problem."

Mr. Luse told the Alto City Council during a recent meeting that his crews began searching for the smell near the high school football field, where they located a manhole that had backed up, but wasn't overflowing. He said they cleared that manhole, but later found the overflowing manhole on U.S. 69.

"They told me what procedures they would go through about cleaning it up," Mr. Perkins said. "They had a pump set up for about a week and pumped about five loads (of sewage) out of the pond."

Mr. Perkins said he is not happy with the progress the city is making toward cleaning up his pond.

"They're acting like it's not a priority," he said. "Five loads of sewage in two weeks is not a lot of progress. (Mr. Luse) tells me he has other things to do. This would be my first priority."

Mr. Perkins noted that the city crews immediately went to work to unstop the sewage back-up.

"They haven't made a lot of progress since," he said.

During the special meeting of the Alto City Council on Dec. 6, Mr. Luse told council members the water in Mr. Perkins pond was safe.

"By the time the water got to the pond, it was drinkable," Mr. Luse said. "The sun treats the water as it goes from pond to pond."

Mr. Perkins said he uses the pond to water his horses, something he said he cannot do with the pond in its current condition. He said since the water in the pond is unsuitable for horses, he has to water them in his horse troughs.

Mr. Luse said the manhole overflowed because a collection of grease had stopped up the sewage system at that location. He told the council on Dec. 6 that the location between the school and the Alto Housing Authority was a factor.

"The everyday cooking and washing of dishes… in time, it collects," Mr. Luse said.

Judson Smith, auditor for TCEQ, said he investigated the bypass along with a more experienced auditor.

"They had a manhole that overflowed a little bit," He said. "The more experienced auditor I was with said it wasn't the worst he's seen. It was less than 10,000 gallons which had spilled."

Mr. Smith said he instructed the city how to clean up the spill.

Mr. Smith said that his supervisors will review the case and decide if a fine will be assessed to the city.

"What typically happens is we give a notice of violation," he said. "You're not supposed to have bypasses. If they don't fix it, they could be fined. Any notice of violation can be subject to a notice of enforcement (fine) if not addressed. The main thing is to get it cleaned up and prevent it from recurring."

Mr. Smith said recurrences usually result in higher fines.

"These things do happen, they just need to fix it and prevent recurrences," he said. "We want to keep bypasses at a minimum."

Mr. Smith said fines usually are not levied "off the bat" unless the bypass is severe. He recommended preventative maintenance, adding that many cities have grease-trap ordinances to help protect the sewer system.