Power Surge at Lift Station Sends Sewage Overflow From Hemley Street Manhole Into Creek Feeding Bayou La Batre

BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. — A power surge that knocked a sewer lift station offline caused untreated wastewater to spill from a manhole in Bayou La Batre on Saturday, Oct. 17, and some of it reached a creek that flows into the bayou before crews could clean it up.

The Utilities Board of the City of Bayou La Batre reported the sanitary sewer overflow, or SSO, at a manhole on Hemley Street. Officials estimate that less than 5,000 gallons were released.

What happened

According to Bayou La Batre officials, a power surge temporarily shut down one of the utility’s lift stations. With the station offline, wastewater backed up in the system and overflowed from the Hemley Street manhole.

The overflow reached an unnamed creek that flows into Bayou La Batre before it could be contained and cleaned up.

The utility says the affected area has since been cleaned and disinfected. The lift station has been repaired and returned to normal operation.

How lift stations work, and why power matters

Sewer systems rely largely on gravity to move wastewater downhill through pipes toward a treatment plant. In flat, low-lying coastal communities like Bayou La Batre, gravity alone often is not enough. Lift stations, also called pump stations, collect wastewater at low points in the system and pump it uphill so it can continue on its way.

Because lift stations depend on electric pumps, a power interruption or electrical problem can stop them from working. When that happens, wastewater keeps flowing into the station from homes and businesses but has nowhere to go. If the problem is not corrected quickly, the wastewater can rise and escape from the nearest low point in the system, often a manhole.

That appears to be what happened on Hemley Street, where the surge temporarily disabled the station until it could be repaired.

What is a sanitary sewer overflow?

A sanitary sewer overflow happens when untreated or partially treated sewage leaves the sanitary sewer system before it reaches a wastewater treatment plant. Overflows can come from manholes, broken pipes, pump stations or building cleanouts.

Causes range from power failures and equipment breakdowns to grease buildup, tree roots in pipes and heavy rain that overwhelms a system. In south Alabama, overflows are often tied to storms, when stormwater seeps into aging sewer lines and pushes them beyond capacity. This overflow, however, was linked to a power surge rather than rainfall.

Utilities in Alabama are required to report overflows to state environmental regulators and to notify the public, which is why reports like this one are issued even when the volume is relatively small.

Health risks from sewage

Sewage can contain bacteria, viruses and parasites that cause illnesses such as diarrhea and vomiting, along with skin infections and other health problems. That is why health officials urge caution around any water or soil that may have been affected by an overflow, even after a cleanup.

Dr. Kevin Michaels, health officer for Mobile County, reminds residents to take the following precautions:

• Avoid contact with affected water, soil and any obvious sewage.
• Keep children and pets away from ditches, creeks, flooded areas and standing water that may be contaminated.
• Do not swim, wade or fish in posted areas or in water that looks or smells contaminated.

Most importantly, the health department says anyone who comes into contact with possibly contaminated water or soil should wash their skin and clothing thoroughly with soap and clean water as soon as possible.

Why Bayou La Batre’s waters matter

Bayou La Batre is known as the Seafood Capital of Alabama, and its namesake bayou is the heart of the city’s fishing and seafood processing industry. Shrimp boats, oyster operations and seafood businesses line the waterway, and the health of the bayou and the surrounding waters is closely tied to the local economy and way of life.

Creeks and small tributaries that feed the bayou carry whatever enters them downstream, which is why even a relatively small overflow into an unnamed creek is reported and cleaned up promptly.

Part of a wider pattern of overflow reports

The Bayou La Batre overflow is one of several sewer overflow reports in south Alabama this month. Earlier in October, heavy rain led to overflows in Foley, and the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System investigated an overflow into Halls Mill Creek near Cypress Shores. Following Hurricane Isaias, the Mobile County Health Department also urged residents to use caution around local waters because storm-related overflows were possible.

Unlike many of those incidents, the Bayou La Batre overflow was not caused by rainfall. Officials attributed it to the power surge that disabled the lift station.

What residents should do

Although the utility says the area has been cleaned and disinfected, residents near Hemley Street and the creek that flows into Bayou La Batre should continue to follow the health department’s general guidance around possibly contaminated water:

• Stay out of the creek and nearby ditches until conditions are clearly back to normal.
• Keep children and pets from playing in or near standing water in the area.
• Wash hands, skin and clothing with soap and clean water after any contact with water or soil that may have been affected.
• Report any sewage odors, wet areas around manholes or overflowing cleanouts to the Utilities Board of the City of Bayou La Batre.

The bottom line

• When: Saturday, Oct. 17
• Where: A manhole on Hemley Street in Bayou La Batre
• Cause: A power surge temporarily shut down a lift station
• Volume: Estimated at less than 5,000 gallons
• Affected water: An unnamed creek that flows into Bayou La Batre
• Status: Area cleaned and disinfected; lift station repaired and back in operation

Residents with questions about the overflow can contact the Utilities Board of the City of Bayou La Batre. Health questions can be directed to the Mobile County Health Department.