The City of Galveston is recommending that no one get in the canal for now as it continues to monitor the situation.
GALVESTON, Texas — While people soaked up some sun between showers on the Gulf side of Galveston Island Monday, city crews sucked up apparent raw sewage closer to the bay.
“Yucky looking stuff at the edges of the canal,” said concerned resident Melissa Hall.
Hall shared photos with KHOU 11 first thing Labor Day morning, including ones of multiple city crews that responded with vacuum trucks and other equipment.
We also saw brown sludge floating in the canal between her apartment and a wastewater treatment plant from where the city told us late in the day that 2,500 gallons of sewage “foam” overflowed.
“I mean, it was so much that, you know, surely it’s going to saturate the ground,” said Hall. “And I don’t know the effect it would have on the wildlife, but that’s my concern and the people that are in the water, that is my concern.”
Several watercrafts came through during our interview further stirring up the brown material.
The tide was going out at the time, which means some of it was all flowing into nearby Offatts Bayou and potentially on to Galveston Bay.
“Lots of boaters out there, lots of people going to be out there today,” Hall said. “And they don’t know it, but they’re swimming in poop.”
Online records show that improvements have been planned, if not completed, at this particular wastewater facility.
Here’s the full statement we got from the City of Galveston:
Crews for the City of Galveston’s wastewater treatment plant division have contained a sewage overflow event that occurred at the Airport Wastewater Treatment Plant early Monday morning.
Approximately, 2,500 gallons of foam were released from the facility and flowed into the canal near the Island Bay Apartment Complex/Moody Gardens. City crews promptly responded to minimize the impact. All of the observable overflow was contained and cleaned up by Monday at 1 p.m. The overflow was reported to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in accordance with state regulations.
The City collected samples for testing from the canal at various locations and will continue to monitor the conditions in and around the facility. Out of an abundance of caution, we advise people avoid swimming in the canal until further notice.
Got a news tip or story idea? Text it to us at 713-526-1111