Wastewater Pipe Break Results in Wastewater Discharge Near Oso Bay

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – A broken wastewater pipe has resulted in a discharge into Corpus Christi Oso Bay from a wastewater line near the City of Corpus Christi’s Oso Wastewater Treatment Plant on Monday, February 10, 2020. 

The City was notified this afternoon about a fish kill in a creek located along the Oso Golf Course. Crews immediately responded to the area and established isolation booms to contain the spill. They used drone technology to assess the situation and are actively working on identifying the location of the pipe break. The City’s contractor is currently cleaning the creek. There is currently no accurate estimate as to the amount of wastewater discharge. The City has contacted appropriate officials, including the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Regional office.

The City is required by 30 Tex. Admin. Code Section 319.303(c) to issue the following precautionary statements:

  (1) Persons using private drinking water supply wells located within 1/2-mile of the spill site or within the potentially affected area should use only water that has been distilled or boiled at a rolling boil for at least one minute for all personal uses including drinking, cooking, bathing, and tooth brushing. Individuals with private water wells should have their well water tested and disinfected, if necessary, prior to discontinuing distillation or boiling.

  (2) Persons who purchase water from a public water supply may contact their water supply distributor to determine if the water is safe for personal use.

  (3) The public should avoid contact with waste material, soil, or water in the area potentially affected by the spill.

  (4) If the public comes into contact with waste material, soil, or water potentially affected by the spill, they should bathe and wash clothes thoroughly as soon as possible.

For further information, contact: Kim Womack, Communication Director, at 361-826-3211.