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Vallecitos Water District quickly contains sewage




An estimated 1,950 gallon sewage spill occurred Wednesday, February 4 at Redwing Street in San Marcos when a pressurized sewer pipeline of the Vallecitos Water District broke.

Vallecitos Water District is one of two water districts serving Escondido.

The spill occurred when a pressurized sewer main developed a leak. About 825 gallons of sewage was recovered and the remaining 1,125 gallons entered a storm drain that discharges to San Marcos Creek.

According to VWD spokesman Chris Robbins: “The Vallecitos Water District experienced an overflow of approximately 1950 gallons of wastewater solids this morning that spilled out of a pressurized sewer pipe located on Redwing Street in San Marcos and into a storm drain that releases into San Marcos Creek. Vallecitos crews acted quickly to contain the spill by placing barriers around the storm drain to minimize the amount of solids that flowed to the creek. Further, the crews were able to collect 825 gallons of the spill, so that only 1125 gallons went downstream.”

The pipe is used to transport solid material that is removed during the wastewater treatment process at the District’s Meadowlark Water Reclamation

Facility in Carlsbad to the Encina Wastewater Authority, near the coast in Carlsbad, where it is further treated and recycled. The pipe has exceeded its useful life and as a result, the Vallecitos Board of Directors approved the replacement of the entire solids line pipe. The replacement pipe is funded and th design is complete.

A customer notified Vallecitos staff of the spill at 7:10 A.M. Crews arrived at the spill site and had a pumping truck collecting the spill at 7:36 A.M. Investigation of the cause began immediately once crews were on-site. The remaining solids in the line were completely drained back to the Meadowlark plant to prevent further release by 7:45 A.M. The spill was completely contained by 8:23 a.m.

The proper agencies were notified and per the request of the County Department of Environmental Health, Vallecitos crews posted signs along San Marcos Creek at the La Costa Country Club Golf Course, where human contact may be possible.



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