Posted: October 3, 2008
For more information
Tammy Beutnagel, GUADALUPE-BLANCO RIVER AUTHORITY, (830) 379-5822 or email
SEGUIN--Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) officials controlled a sewage spill at Lake Dunlap Thursday afternoon, Oct. 2 when 3,000 gallons of fluids (no solids) were released into the lake after a mechanical failure at the GBRA Lake Dunlap lift station.
Several pumps failed causing a temporary leakage into the lake near a cove by the Park. When a mechanical failure occurs, GBRA usually is notified via an auto-dialer that calls GBRA's control room. The auto-dialer also malfunctioned. However, Lake Dunlap resident noticed a leakage at a manhole and contacted both GBRA and the Guadalupe County Health Department.
GBRA crews were dispatched to control the spill and to collect water samples for testing. GBRA water quality laboratory officials notified the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) immediately and collected water samples from the area of the lake where the leakage occurred. Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels remained in the normal range and no fish kills were observed. All of the mechanical problems related to the pumps were repaired with the exception of the auto-dialer.
While general boating recreation at the lake may continue, as a precaution, GBRA officials are advising swimmers to avoid cove area where the spill occurred until at least Monday, Oct. 6, when new water sample results may become available.
The GBRA was established by the Texas Legislature in 1933 as a water conservation and reclamation district. GBRA provides stewardship for the water resources in its 10-county statutory district, which begins near the headwaters of the Guadalupe and Blanco rivers, ends at San Antonio Bay, and includes Kendall, Comal, Hays, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Gonzales, DeWitt, Victoria, Calhoun, and Refugio counties.
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