Utility Experiences Second Massive Wastewater Overflow Almost Exactly One Year After First

History has repeated itself in Topeka, KS.  

On April 26, 2.4 million gallons of untreated wastewater washed into the river at the South Kansas River Pump Station, reports 13WIBW. The overflow was reportedly caused by heavy rains and an unidentified mechanical failure and the Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment has been notified. Downstream water supply stations have been notified as well.

Emergency crews were alerted to the situation when safety alarms sounded.

“Once notified of the issue, our staff responded immediately to address the overflow, said Sylvia Davis, Director of Topeka Water Pollution Control in an article for 13WIBW. “Staff’s response helped to minimize the overflow and kept a bad situation from getting worse.”

It has been almost exactly one year since a similar 3-million-gallon wastewater spill occurred in Topeka. The prior spill cost the city a $10,000 penalty after a consent agreement from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal.

The agreement also called for the city to implement an emergency notification plan to warn downstream communities within 24 hours of discovering a direct discharge that could cause a significant public health threat. This procedure was followed in the 2016 incident.

Before the April 2015 spillage, notifying downstream water companies of a discharge was a courtesy, not a requirement, said Doug Gerber, deputy city manager, according the Topeka Capital-Journal.

“We don’t get notification, ironically, when this happens upstream from us,” the Topeka Capital-Journal reported Gerber saying in 2015.

The spill, which occurred on April 17, 2015, happened after the main power system, as well as the backup power system, failed. It was not discovered until April 19, after a city employee noticed unusually low flows at the North Topeka Wastewater Treatment Plant.

A power outage had caused problems with the SCADA system that communicates with the pump stations and allows for remote monitoring, even though the pump station had recently been rehabilitated and the equipment was less than a year old.

After the 2015 overflow, upgrades were made to the SCADA system to send an alarm when the uninterrupted power supply failed, and to turn on the pumps if all other mechanisms failed.

Communications systems were also upgraded to make sure the right people would be notified in case of emergency, reported the Topeka Capital-Journal.