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(Image Credit: Aquatera Utilities)
By Nathaniel Leigh
Aquatera

Aquatera wastewater closed 18-hours Sept. 16 following hydrocarbon contamination event

Sep 21, 2026 | 10:43 AM

Aquatera responded to a hydrocarbon contamination event last week.

On Sept. 16, the wastewater treatment plant was shut down for 18 hours to prevent damage to the treatment process while crews completed cleanup and recovery.

The outage and hydrocarbon exposure impacted the biological treatment process, leading to additional operational measures to stabilize performance.

“The immediate response of our operations team was critical in containing the contamination and limiting its damage,” said Aquatera CEO Vaughn Bend. “Incidents of this nature place significant demands on treatment operations and have the potential to seriously affect staff, first responders, plant performance, and the environment.”

Aquatera does not anticipate any effluent quality concerns but will be monitoring closely.

Hydrocarbons like fuels, oils, and solvents can disrupt wastewater treatment by harming the microorganisms essential to the process.

In light of this incident and multiple hydrocarbon spills reported at Bear Creek in the past few months, Aquatera is reminding residents, businesses, and industrial customers to ensure their hydrocarbons are disposed of safely.

by Nathaniel Leigh