Water reclamation district must pay for sewage spill

Thursday, June 17, 2004 | 8:28 a.m.

The Clark County Water Reclamation District faces either a fine or a more expensive environmental project to improve Southern Nevada's water quality after a major sewage spill into Lake Mead in February, a state official said.

There was no threat to public health from the two million gallons of contaminated sewage that flowed down the Flamingo Wash into Las Vegas Wash and then Lake Mead, where Las Vegas draws 90 percent of its drinking water, Allen Biaggi, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection administrator, said Wednesday.

The two drinking water intakes are on Saddle Island, six miles downstream from the Las Vegas Wash outlet.

The Environmental Protection Division settled on the penalty this week after an investigation.

The potential threat from the contaminated discharge to the environment drew a $117,345 penalty or a $176,000 environmental improvement project that has yet to be decided, Biaggi said.

"This is not a tap water issue, this is not a drinking water issue," Biaggi said. "There was no potential threat to public health."

The Environmental Protection Division was notified of the spill 18 hours after it began on Feb. 24, Biaggi said, about 11 p.m. on Feb. 25.

"It probably reached into Lake Mead, but it was diluted," Biaggi said. "We had some concerns about who was contacted and the time interval."

A hotel engineer noticed sewage backed up into a drain behind Caesars Palace and the Mirage hotels near Industrial Road and called authorities.

A 30-year-old concrete pipeline had breaks in three different places after it collapsed, causing the spill, Water Reclamation General Manager Peter Archuleta said.

After the pipeline was examined by video camera, repairs began. The sewage was diverted into the area's storm drains. The project should be completed by the end of this month, Archuleta said. Two-thirds of the pipe has been lined with fiberglass, which resists corrosion from gases trapped inside the pipe that caused the failure, he said.

Sections that were crushed have been replaced by PVC piping that is resistant to corrosion, he said.

Rainfall during the last week in February added to the swiftness of the sewage running into the wash and lake, he said. Water reclamation crews treated the sewage with chlorine before diverting it to the storm drains, Archuleta said.

In addition, the Southern Nevada Water Authority stepped up drinking water monitoring, but did not find any increase in bacteria or viruses, spokesman Vince Alberta said. The water authority also increased chlorine treatment of the water.

No fish or wildlife were killed or affected by the spill, Biaggi said.

To prevent future sewage spills, the Environmental Protection Division has ordered the Water Reclamation District to train its employees, provide clear rules and procedures for notifying other agencies and to place better alarms inside the pipes to detect breakdowns, Biaggi said.

The division has to approve whatever environmental improvement project the district proposes, Biaggi said.

"We think that is a good solution, since it benefits the valley overall," he said.

Archuleta agreed. "We think that makes sense," he said.