PUEBLO, Colo. — Pueblo officials on Monday released more information about an unplanned sewage discharge into the Arkansas River last month that led to high levels of E. coli in the water.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an advisory about high bacteria levels in the river and asked people downstream to avoid water recreation for several days after the discharge occurred near Confluence Park on Aug. 28.
Watch News 5's previous reporting on this sewage discharge in the video below:
“The discharge was discovered when the monitored average flow at the treatment plant was 3 million gallons lower than what it should have been for August 26, and this was discovered on Thursday, August 27,” Director of the Pueblo Wastewater Department, Andra Ahrens, said in a prepared statement.
Ahrens said the department was releasing more information “to remain as transparent as possible” with people seeking to learn more about the quality of their water following the unplanned discharge.
Officials said once the department was able to identify the cause for the missing flow volume, it took two hours to divert and stop the release of untreated sewage into the Arkansas River, according to a news release.
The bypass operation was immediately discontinued, and flow was restored to the normal sanitary system, officials added.
Pueblo officials said a release then occurred due to the configuration of two sewer pipes: A 48-inch sanitary sewer pipe installed inside a 102-inch brick storm sewer pipe.
Officials said the design of the pipes – which run from Santa Fe to Confluence Park until they separate – was originally constructed to keep stormwater and wastewater flows separate,
At that separation point, the 48-inch sanitary pipe connects to a 60-inch pipe flowing to the Water Reclamation Facility, while the 102-inch stormwater pipe continues downstream to a channel that discharges into the Arkansas River, officials said.
The unplanned sewage discharge occurred after the 48-inch pipe was put under pressure to bypass the 60-inch pipe, and the pressure cause a patch on the 49-inch to break and release wastewater into the 102-inch pipe, official said.
The bypass was necessary to rehabilitate the 60-inch pipe, they added.
Officials said the CDPHE has continued to test the water levels and will communicate appropriate action to the communities downstream of the discharge, but other entities, such as the Department of Agriculture, Colorado Parks and Wildlife or individual municipalities may have their own recommendations to communicate.
Currently, the CDPHE says there is no threat to drinking water supplies; those who use a well or other private water supplies and believe their systems may be impacted should contact the Water Quality Control Division.
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