Sedona AZ (July 23, 2021) – At around 4 p.m. on July 23, 2021, rain water inundated the city of Sedona’s El Camino Lift Station at 700 El Camino Rd. and overwhelmed the pump system, causing a sewage spill to occur. The spill was stopped within 30 minutes.
It is estimated approximately 1,500 gallons of untreated liquid effluent spilled into a nearby wash. That wash flows into Carroll Canyon Wash, which ultimately drains into Oak Creek near the Crescent Moon Ranch area, approximately 2.7 miles downstream. The untreated liquid effluent entering Oak Creek is highly diluted by the rain occurring at the time of the spill.
For context, the volume of effluent translates to approximately 0.11 cubic feet per second. For comparison, Oak Creek’s rate of flow during this rain event was just under 900 cubic feet per second.
Water quality samples will be done as soon as it’s safe to do so. The city expects to receive test results in approximately 24 hours after collecting the sample, and results will be sent to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and communicated with the public. Residents should use this information to determine if it’s safe to recreate in Oak Creek.
The immediately affected areas near Crescent Moon Ranch swimming area will have signage posted warning people of potentially high levels of E.coli. The city will hand-deliver information on this spill to residents near Crescent Moon Ranch with direct creek access located downstream from the spill.
This notice is being sent in compliance with the city of Sedona Wastewater Department’s Emergency Response Plan. Agencies including Red Rock State Park and Arizona Game and Fish will be notified of this spill.
The city will continue to keep the community informed as new information becomes available. For sewer spill emergencies, call the city’s sewer emergency hotline at (928) 203-5180.