Austin Water: over 500k gallons of ‘partially treated’ wastewater leaked into Gilleland Creek

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hundreds of thousands of gallons of partially treated wastewater leaked into a creek in Travis County after an “unauthorized discharge” occurred at a wastewater treatment plant in Manor on Tuesday, according to Austin Water.

Austin Water employees at the Wildhorse Ranch Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at 10621 Blue Bluff Rd, Manor, discovered an unauthorized discharge around 6 a.m. Tuesday.

About 523,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater spilled from the facility’s outfall and went into a tributary of the Gilleland Creek, according to Austin Water.

Gilleland Creek runs about 27 miles from northern Travis County to the Colorado River.

Austin Water officials said in a press release Tuesday night that the discharge had been contained and there was no impact to fish or wildlife.

The discharge had not affected Austin’s drinking water supply as of Tuesday evening, but Austin Water officials urged people who live nearby to use caution when using private drinking water supply wells located within half a mile of the overflow site or within the “potentially affected area.”

Austin Water officials said those who do use private water supply wells near the area should:

• use only water that has been distilled or boiled at a rolling boil for at least one minute for all personal uses including drinking, cooking, bathing, and tooth brushing;
• have their well water tested and disinfected, if necessary, prior to discontinuing distillation or boiling.

People who live nearby and purchase water from another public water supply can contact their water supply distributor about whether their water is safe for personal use.

Austin Water officials said the public should avoid contact with waste material, soil, or water in the area potentially affected by the overflow. If anyone does come into contact with waste material, soil, or water potentially affected by the spill, they should bathe and wash clothes thoroughly as soon as possible‎.  

The affected area is not accessible to vehicles or pedestrians, and Austin Water has notified and is coordinating with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Austin Watershed Protection to “assess and remediate” the site. 

Austin Water did not specify what may have caused the unauthorized discharge. For more information, customers can contact Austin Water at 512-972-1000. 

City of Austin water leakage issues

A KXAN investigation found that in 2024, city of Austin-owned pipes leaked 9.3 billion gallons of treated water – a 31% increase over the previous year, according to annual audits submitted to the Texas Water Development Board.

The investigation highlighted that the water loss underscores the struggle utilities face in a state where experts consider water scarcity a looming existential threat, and lawmakers are pushing to dedicate billions of dollars to build new supplies and fund strategies to conserve existing water, such as fixing leaky pipes.

Read more on KXAN’s investigation here.