Sometime between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. the night of Tuesday Aug. 4, the SR179 Sewer Main Replacement Project suffered a sewage spill of 15,000 gallons to 20,000 gallons of “untreated liquid effluent” along State Route 179 near the Hillside shopping center, according to a press release from the city of Sedona about 24 hours after the incident.

In response to an inquiry on Aug. 11, Roxanne Holland, director of wastewater for the city of Sedona, reported that there were two earlier spills of 1,000 gallons and 2,000 gallons, respectively.

“We had two spills at the Canyon Drive roundabout,” Holland wrote.

First Spill, June 28, 1,000 gallons

The first was on Sunday, June 28, in which the pumps were set to the off position instead of the auto position after normal hourly checks on the pumps.

The spill was about 15 minutes in duration before the pumps were turned back on and was approximately 1,000 gallons. The spill was confined to roadway surfaces and a storm drain, but no water exited the stormdrain outfall.

Cleanup of that spill included disinfection of the roadway and the storm drain.

One resident reported, “In the first incident, I cycled through that sewage before realizing what it was. As it was a Sunday and Sedona [Wastewater] was closed, I reported it to Sedona police. The contractor responded quickly and restored the pumps and made a perfunctory effort to clean the busy roundabout.”

Cars were driving through a steady stream of sewage, he reported.

“Despite what Sedona [Wastewater] may claim, there was clear evidence of partial solids and toilet paper in the spill,” the resident reported.

Second Spill, July 7, 2,000 gallons

The second spill was Tuesday, July 7, according to Holland.

It occurred because of a mechanical failure of the bypass pumps, she stated. The pumps were down for approximately 30 minutes and the spill was approximately 2,000 gallons.

The spill entered the storm drain and exited into an unnamed stormwater discharge wash. Sandbags were placed in the wash to contain the spill and the roadway, storm drain and wash were all disinfected.

Soil samples were tested for fecal coliform in the wash and results indicated residual bacteria in the soil, so further disinfection and testing is occurring until the results match background levels for fecal coliform for a control sample in close proximity but outside of the spill area.

As a result of these two spills, the contractor, Kinney Construction Services, was required to switch to back to the sewer main at the end of the day, so that the bypass pumps would not be the primary method for conveyance after hours.

In addition, Kinney Construction Services increased watch over the pumps during working hours from hourly to having a watch person at all times.

Holland was not clear about how, with this watch person on duty, Kinney Construction Services had yet another spill, its third in seven weeks, on the same project in the same area with the same cause.

Third Spill, Aug. 4, 15,000 to 20,000 gallons

Residents and passersby reported untreated liquid effluent coming out of a manhole in front of the Hillside Sedona shopping center and flowing into a storm drain which then drained into Oak Creek approximately 750 feet downstream from the State Route 179 bridge over Oak Creek on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

City officials estimated that approximately 15,000 gallons to 20,000 gallons of untreated liquid effluent spilled into Oak Creek.

The spill was contained and disinfected around 8:30 p.m. that same evening. Kinney Construction Services, the contractor for the construction project, is responsible for this accidental spill.

According to the city, “Kinney Construction Services hand-delivered information on this spill to residents and business with direct creek access located downstream from the spill. Other public notices have been placed at trailheads and areas where people frequently access Oak Creek.”

However, numerous residents in Sedona city limits and in the Red Rock Loop Road area with creekside access said they were not notified by Kinney nor the city of Sedona and were unaware of the sewage spill until reading news reports about it in the days after the spill.

In a press release on Aug. 10, city officials wrote, “In the short term, the city will go beyond compliance with Arizona Department of Environmental Quality requirements and take additional measures to assess and mitigate impacts to the creek and nearby properties. This will include continued E. coli testing at multiple locations along the creek, engaging community partners to discuss impact concerns, and finalizing new safety plans created by the contractor for the SR179 Sewer Main Replacement Project, including third-party daily inspections, so construction may resume.”

“In the long term, the city is assembling a stakeholder group comprised of residents; city staff; and representatives from Oak Creek Watershed Council, the county health departments and ADEQ. This collaborative process will review all components of the incident and amend protocols that need to be updated.”

The project was originally scheduled to conclude July 13. It is unclear when the project will now finish or if the project will be completed before the stakeholders first meet.

As a result of this incident, work has been temporarily suspended as the contractor develops a plan to ensure that a spill does not occur again and to safely continue moving forward with the utility installation project, city officials stated. The contractor will continue to make every attempt to complete work along State Route 179 as soon as possible.

There was no statement from city administrators after the first nor second spills, but after the third and most recent spill, City Manager Justin Clifton stated, “Protecting our natural resources is of utmost importance for the city; it’s in our Community Plan, it’s in our vision statement and part of our sustainability program. It’s very disappointing that this accident ever happened and we’re doing everything we can to avoid this type of incident in the future, including engaging stakeholders to evaluate our processes. That way, we are better equipped if a unique situation like this ever occurs in the future.”

Kinney Construction Services “acknowledges” Aug. 4 spill but omits two previous spills

Kinney Construction Services issued a press release on Aug. 7, three days after the Aug. 4 spill.

It makes no reference whatsoever to the spills on June 28 nor July 7.