Around 9:45 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, heavy rainfall and localized flooding caused severe inflow and infiltration at the Bear Wallow Pump Station. The incoming flow overwhelmed the facility, causing a sewer spill into Oak Creek near 135 Bear Wallow Lane, according to Julie Graham, communications and public affairs manager for the city of Sedona.
Pumper trucks were immediately dispatched to assist and the pump station returned to normal operating conditions by 11:15 a.m.
City of Sedona staff initially estimated that approximately 2,700 gallons of untreated, liquid-only sewage entered Oak Creek during the flood, but on the morning of Monday, Nov. 2, Graham issued a new statement that the city has not determined how much sewage entered the creek.
Due to evacuations of neighborhoods and trails along Oak Creek and extreme flooding throughout Sedona, the city did not issue notifications to residents nor post warning at trailheads downstream.
The city has not conducted water quality sampling for safety reasons from the flooding. Disinfection of the land surface will happen once the rain has stopped and the city can conduct subsequent soil sampling.
The city will keep the community informed as new information becomes available. For up-to-date information on sewer spills, please visit https://www.sedonaaz.gov/your-government/departments/wastewater/sewer-spill-information.
