TCEQ identifies Port Arthur wastewater spill

The Texas Commissioner on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) notified local officials about a multi-million-gallon unauthorized discharge or spill of wastewater at Port Arthur’s main wastewater treatment facility in the 6300 block of Proctor Street Extension.

The incident occurred at 12 p.m. July 2, with an estimated volume of 2.5 million gallons. TCEQ stated the spill was domestic wastewater. The areas potentially affected include down gradient and lateral distance from the spill site.

TCEQ reported the overflow of untreated sewage, which mostly stayed onsite; however, at best, the estimate is that between 200,000 and 500,000 gallons overflowed offsite and into the Jefferson County Drainage Ditch No. 7 Canal. There is no impact to aquatic life observed as a result of the overflow.

TCEQ stated the suspected cause of the spill was an internal pump failure and most of the overflow remained primarily onsite at the treatment plant, and the overflow offsite was treated with chlorine tablets.