Sewage keeps flowing at site of lagoon leak
Sewage keeps flowing at site of lagoon leak
By Mike Lee
October 8, 2012
What started as a trickle of sewage into Batiquitos Lagoon on Sunday morning continued into Monday, and an estimated 27,000 gallons of wastewater were released from a broken pipe by late-afternoon, Carlsbad officials said.
They urged residents in the area to curtail water use — including flushing toilets, doing laundry and taking showers — through 9 p.m. to minimize strain on the sewage system and speed repairs.
The size of the leak pales in comparison to some of the biggest sewage spills in the region over the past decade, but the incident is still large enough to prompt posting of contamination warnings at Ponto Beach and get the attention of regulators.
It was not clear when the leak would be stopped or what caused it, said Kristina Ray, a spokeswoman for Carlsbad. She said not all 27,000 gallons had reached the lagoon because the city has large tanker trucks on site to capture the renegade flows. She did not immediately know the amount that reached the lagoon.
The rupture is at the pump station at the west end of the lagoon. The facility’s service area is north of the Batiquitos Lagoon, south of Poinsettia Lane, east of I-5, and west of El Camino Real.
“They are making good progress on the repairs,” Ray said Monday. “But it would be good if people could reduce their use through the peak period this evening.”
An official at the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, which polices sewage spills, said it was too early to say whether any penalties would result.
Large sewage overflows typically occur during wet weather, and they can reach into the millions of gallons. Sewage pollution at lagoons has been problematic along the county’s coastline in recent years because numerous wastewater pipes crisscross the wetlands and they are often hard to inspect and upgrade.
By Mike Lee
October 8, 2012
What started as a trickle of sewage into Batiquitos Lagoon on Sunday morning continued into Monday, and an estimated 27,000 gallons of wastewater were released from a broken pipe by late-afternoon, Carlsbad officials said.
They urged residents in the area to curtail water use — including flushing toilets, doing laundry and taking showers — through 9 p.m. to minimize strain on the sewage system and speed repairs.
The size of the leak pales in comparison to some of the biggest sewage spills in the region over the past decade, but the incident is still large enough to prompt posting of contamination warnings at Ponto Beach and get the attention of regulators.
It was not clear when the leak would be stopped or what caused it, said Kristina Ray, a spokeswoman for Carlsbad. She said not all 27,000 gallons had reached the lagoon because the city has large tanker trucks on site to capture the renegade flows. She did not immediately know the amount that reached the lagoon.
The rupture is at the pump station at the west end of the lagoon. The facility’s service area is north of the Batiquitos Lagoon, south of Poinsettia Lane, east of I-5, and west of El Camino Real.
“They are making good progress on the repairs,” Ray said Monday. “But it would be good if people could reduce their use through the peak period this evening.”
An official at the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, which polices sewage spills, said it was too early to say whether any penalties would result.
Large sewage overflows typically occur during wet weather, and they can reach into the millions of gallons. Sewage pollution at lagoons has been problematic along the county’s coastline in recent years because numerous wastewater pipes crisscross the wetlands and they are often hard to inspect and upgrade.
Summary:
There was a leak in a sewage that grew larger because the amount of water that was being used. Because the problem was increasing residents were instructed to lessen their water use so it would no blow to proportion. These type of situations usually occur when the weather is very wet. Another reason this can occur is because of the pollution in the lagoon has increased.
I chose this because we don't realize that the amount of water we use always ties into something. In this case, people were constantly using water to the point where the pressure jut increased and sprung a leak. If we lessen the amount of water we use we will be able to save oour pipes from becoming vulnerable.
I chose this because we don't realize that the amount of water we use always ties into something. In this case, people were constantly using water to the point where the pressure jut increased and sprung a leak. If we lessen the amount of water we use we will be able to save oour pipes from becoming vulnerable.