City cleanup crews are responding to a wastewater spill on Douglas Island, near the base of the Douglas Bridge.
Chad Gubala, a manager for the city’s wastewater utility, said that an equipment malfunction at around 5:30 Thursday morning caused sewage to spill from a city lift station near Sandy Beach into Gastineau Channel.
Both the main and backup pumps failed at the lift station, which helps transport wastewater from homes on south Douglas Island to the Thane treatment plant. Gubala said crews were called in to stop the flow and pump out the flooded area.
Gubala said no solids were visible in the initial spill, and much of the initial cleanup on the beach has already wrapped up.
“We’re now entirely stabilized with the situation and fixing our site appropriately,” he said.
The majority of the spill went directly into the channel. Gubala said the state Department of Environmental Conservation was notified by the city. The DEC has a standard procedure for sewage discharge to make sure everything was cleaned up properly.
The lift station was restored to normal status by early Thursday afternoon, but Gubala says his team will be monitoring it closely.
In the long-term it will likely be replaced altogether. The wastewater utility has submitted plans for a $2.2 million capital improvement project — including lift station replacements — waiting for appropriation and authorization by the Juneau Assembly in the coming months.
