Police suspect sabotage at wastewater treatment plant

HOLLISTER, Mo. -- Police on Wednesday were investigating who tampered with equipment at a wastewater treatment plant, causing treated sludge to be released into a southwest Missouri creek.

Someone with knowledge of the plant's layout and equipment, possibly a disgruntled former employee, opened a series of valves sometime over the weekend, causing treated sludge in a holding tank to be rerouted back through the system, facility manager Tom Clemens said.

That overloaded the system, causing an undetermined amount of the sludgy water to be released into Turkey Creek.

Almost no water is flowing in Turkey Creek at the site of the wastewater plant just south of Hollister, so the sludge settled into two shallow pools where it was being vacuumed out of the creek, officials said.

Workers began removing the sludge Saturday. About 21,000 gallons of water had been removed by Tuesday and was trucked to the city's main lift station from where it will be reprocessed.

No fish were killed in the incident and none of the sludge reached Lake Taneycomo, about a mile north of the plant, said Kevin Hess, water pollution unit chief for the state Department of Natural Resources.

Water testing in Lake Taneycomo and along Turkey Creek showed no elevated levels of fecal coliform bacteria, Hess said.

Exposure to sunlight kills the bacteria, Hess said. No swimming ban or boil order is necessary, Hess said.

Hollister Police Chief George Stevens was conducting interviews to determine who might have had gate keys and a specialized tool to turn the valves. All locks have since been changed at the plant, Stevens said.

The city's drinking water comes from five wells that are secured against tampering, said City Administrator John Lewis.