Killeen, Texas Sewage Damage May Take Months To Understand Full Impact

A devastating sewer leak in Killeen, Texas allowed almost a quarter of a million gallons of raw sewage to escape with much of it reaching Reece Creek that connects to the Lampasas River. The overall impact to not only wildlife, but also humans alike, may not be understood for years.

When did the sewer breach occur?

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality reported on Monday that about 125,000 gallons of sewage was expelled from a broken pipe at the Wastewater Treatment Facility in Killeen after a leak was reported Sunday afternoon. After investigating an area just south of Texas A&M Central College, it was determined the waste was getting into Reece Creek according to this article by the Killeen Daily Herald.

On Wednesday, the estimated amount of leaked material had nearly doubled, and was calculated to be around 245,000 gallons. The major concern is how well was the leak contained, and how thoroughly was the effected area cleaned?

How do you clean up raw sewage that escapes?

Get our free mobile app

Best answer is you call in the experts. Killeen used 6 vacuum trucks to pull loads from the treatment facility in order to prevent it from continuing to leak from the broken pipe. TTG Utilities from Gatesville was brought in to handle the job.

Killeen filed a form with the state to explain what happened, what measures were taken to clean up, and how they plan to prevent it from being repeated. What worries people most is the unknown factor of long term damage to people and wildlife.

The submitted form according to this article with the Killeen Daily Herald claims no fish were killed in the leak, but local residents have varying stories about that.

Fingers crossed the clean up is successful long term.