Diesel fuel dumped in City sewer

Winslow City Wastewater Treatment Plant’s cleansing tank.

The illegal dumping has occrrued at least three times this summer, according to Wastewater Treatment Plant Lead Operator Reuben Gallegos. He said the City does not have any solid leads as to who is dumping the fuel.

Last week the plant experienced another batch of sewage tainted with diesel fuel. According to Gallegos, the plant doesn’t know the sewage has been contaminated until it comes out to the plant’s influent wet well and is discovered by employees.

At that point the wet well is diverted into an emergency contact basin and is treated with live bacteria which eat the fuel. After a few weeks the sewage is slowly reintroduced to the plant.

Each time diesel fuel is dumped into the sewer, it costs the plant an extra $3,000 and extra manpower to treat the sewage, according to Gallegos.

Gallegos also said the diesel fuel ends up killing off the live bacteria, which could potentially cause problems for the heavy machinery that cleanses the waste water which is then pumped out into the Little Colorado River for irrigation use by many local ranchers.

If you have any information on illegal dumping into the City sewer lines, the City of Winslow asks that you call City Hall at 289-2422 or the Wastewater Treatment Plant at 289-4011.

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