SAN MARCOS, CA, Nov. 8, 2010 -- On 11/6/10, a sewage spill occurred at the Vallecitos Water District's (VWD's) Meadowlark Water Reclamation Facility, located at 2310 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road in San Marcos, CA. The cause of the spill was due to local corrosion on a 6" pressurized solids line. The pipe was repaired by mid-afternoon on 11/7/10 and is now back in service.

Alarms in place notified VWD staff of the spill at 11:22 P.M. on 11/6/10. Due to the efficient computer system in place at the facility, the wastewater pumps automatically shut off so that the only wastewater that spilled was the amount that drained from the pipe after the break.

Staff arrived at the plant at 12:09 A.M., placed barriers around the spill to minimize the impact to the creek, and used pumper trucks to recover 920 gallons of wastewater. A final review of the calculations revealed that 4,071 gallons spilled into the creek, as opposed to the 5,440 gallons that was originally reported.

Based on the results of beach water samples collected by VWD near the outfall of the Batiquitos Lagoon, the County Department of Environmental Health will determine when the beach can be reopened.

Vallecitos Water District is an independent, special district dedicated to providing water, wastewater and reclamation services to approximately 86,000 people in a 45-square-mile area that includes San Marcos; the community of Lake San Marcos; portions of Carlsbad, Escondido and Vista; and other surrounding unincorporated areas. The public is invited to Board meetings, taking place at 4 p.m. the first and third Wednesday of each month at Vallecitos' Administration, Maintenance, and Operations Facility - 201 Vallecitos de Oro, San Marcos.

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