Pflugerville Crews Scramble To Contain Wastewater Line Rupture

PFLUGERVILLE, TX — City crews on Thursday scrambled to contain a wastewater line leak after it was accidentally ruptured by a utility company contractor, taking measures to protect the Lake Pflugerville drinking water source from contamination.

The line was struck adjacent to Weiss Lane by an Oncor utility company subcontractor at around 11 a.m. on Thursday, causing the release of wastewater into a Wilbarger Creek tributary originating at the Pflugerville dam spillway adjacent to Weiss Lane, officials said in a press advisory.

City of Pflugerville crews arrived to the scene along with representatives from Oncor. Because crews with Cash Construction, the construction contractor for Weiss Lane, were on site at the time, they jumped in to join the containment and cleanup effort.

City officials notified Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) given the elicit discharge, according to the update.

To contain the leak, the city shut off the lift station to stop the flow of wastewater to the broken pipe and called out pump trucks to service the pump lift stations along the line, city officials explained. The water was flowing eastward from Weiss Lane but posed no threat to Lake Pflugerville drinking water, officials added. As an added precaution, crews dammed the creek downstream to contain the flow.

The activity is in the construction zone of Weiss Lane, which enabled the artery to remain open to public use.

Patch will update as more details are made available.

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