Wastewater spilling out of Lago Vista treatment facility ‘not a danger’ to people or the environment

LAGO VISTA, Texas (KXAN) — Wastewater has been spilling out of a treatment facility in Lago Vista since Tuesday, but authorities say it doesn’t pose any danger to people or the environment in the area.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ, issued a notice about an unauthorized discharge or spill from the Cedar Breaks Effluent Pond, which started on Tuesday, April 16. Water has been flowing out at about 30-50 gallons per minute.

The City of Lago Vista determined that the discharged water does not present a danger to human health or the environment, but the notice says the city “recognizes this is a violation of our TCEQ Permit,” and is implementing corrective measures.

The city recommended that people with water wells who live near the effluent pond boil their water.

According to the notice, this type of wastewater is typically used for golf course irrigation and the irrigation of about 200 acres of a heavily wooded area that’s also densely populated with wildlife.

TCEQ said the cause of the spill was a failed liner in the effluent holding pond, and they’re working to plug the leak without risking structural damage to the pond’s embankment.

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