The city of Lewisville is urging residents in the area of a spill of more than 100,000 gallons of wastewater to take precautions. The city said a contractor working on a city project hit a wastewater pipeline in the 700 block of E. Valley Ridge Boulevard on Thursday around 11:30 a.m.
According to a city press release issued Friday, the wastewater was first contained to an excavation area while city crews worked on the situation. Around 4:30 p.m., the city said, at least 100,000 gallons were released after the flow breached the work site. The city said the discharge lasted about five minutes before the contractor built a berm in Prairie Creek that stopped more wastewater from moving toward the Elm Fork of the Trinity River.
City officials believe the city's drinking water has not been affected. Still, they recommend precautions. Following Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requirements, the city advises the public to avoid contact with waste material, soil or water in the affected area. If contact occurs, people should bathe and wash clothes thoroughly as soon as possible. Residents using private wells within one-half mile of the discharge site should use only distilled water or water boiled at a rolling boil for at least one minute for all personal uses, and well owners should have their water tested and disinfected if necessary.