Georgetown officials are asking people to avoid the water in San Gabriel and Blue Hole parks after more than 100,000 gallons of untreated sewage spilled into the South San Gabriel River following a break in the wastewater line.
The city’s drinking water has not been affected and remains safe for consumption, they said. A section of the South San Gabriel River trail has been closed to pedestrians because of the spill.
Georgetown water utility crews discovered the problem at 10 a.m. Monday while investigating the Wolf Ranch lift station that was running above normal conditions, according to a news release from the city. It said a 42-inch wastewater line in the South Fork of the San Gabriel River had broken about a quarter-mile west of Interstate 35, behind the Wolf Ranch Shopping Center in Georgetown.
“I want to reassure our water customers that our water remains safe for consumption,” City Manager David Morgan said in the release. “Please avoid the area and river water through the San Gabriel and Blue Hole parks while we work to isolate and repair the wastewater line.”
People using private drinking water supply wells within a half-mile of the spill site or within the potentially affected area should use only water that has been distilled or boiled at a rolling boil for at least one minute for all personal uses, including drinking, cooking, bathing and tooth brushing, the release said. It said private well owners need to have their well water tested and disinfected, if necessary, before discontinuing distillation or boiling.
Emergency repairs are ongoing. The cause of the break and when it occurred have not been determined, the release said.
It said the city reported the spill to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and will continue to provide updates to the agency and the public.