HOUSTON – A sewage leak in Buffalo Bayou last November will cost almost $7 million to permanently repair, according to an appropriations request submitted to city council.
Council members are scheduled to take up the issue at their meeting on Wednesday.
According to documents submitted to council, the sewage leak happened on November 30, 2010, when the Northside Wastewater Treatment Plant’s 144-inch sewer line "experienced heavy raw wastewater flow which exceeded its handling capacity." The excess wastewater was diverted to another 84-inch line, which developed large holes. That allowed the sewage to enter a storm sewer and spill into the bayou.
Public Works Spokesman Alvin Wright said he did not know exactly how much sludge entered the bayou in that incident, which happened near the bayou’s intersection with Lockwood Drive in northeast Houston.
The following month, a separate leak nearby dumped about 100,000 gallons of sewage into the bayou.
Both leaks have been plugged, but Wright says more permanent repairs are needed.
"It’s a concern," said Ed Gonzalez, the district’s council member. "We need to make sure that we’re paying attention to our infrastructure."
The city’s already in the middle of a $900 million sewer system improvement program. This new repair would be on top of that, Wright said.
"If it’s an emergency, and truly has an impact on the community, we need to address it regardless of the cost at this time," Gonzalez said. "But I think we also need to be asking questions."
Among those questions will be whether the city could have identified the problem sooner.
But nearby residents and business owners told 11 News that repairs were needed at any cost.
"That’s a lot of money right there," said Mario Rodriguez, who runs a nearby auto shop. "But what mainly concerns me is the impact on the environment."
If council passes the measure, the repair is expected to last until December 30.
