Summary

Source CONUS Archive
Record ID 303429
Story Slug SEWAGE MISHAP REVEALED (1997)
Location LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
Format PKG
Date 5/21/1997
Archive Time 28:17
TRT 2:02
Video Description SEWAGE PROCESSING FACILITY, PLANT, SEWAGE IN HOLDING TANKS, PIPES, SHOTS OF PLANT, GRAPHIC, RIVER FLOWING, PEOPLE BOATING ON LAKE MEAD, MOTORBOATS, SOT, WATER FLOWING THROUGH VIADUCT
Script (SUGGESTED TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO) Every day 50 million gallons of raw sewage enters this plant. It's treated in several stages. But as this plant started up one of the final stages laid in 1994, something went wrong. The process is called nitrification. After they remove most of the impurities from the treated waste, called effluent, one of the remaining substances is ammonia. To get rid of the ammonia plant managers introduced two bacteria, one called so minus the other batter, so minus X first eating the ammonia and producing a byproduct called nitrite. The backer then moves in and eats the nitrite producing wastewater with a second byproduct called nitrate. That wastewater is then treated with chlorine before it's released. But the plant became the victim of something called nitrite. Lock. The first bacteria became too dominant, producing too much nitrite for the second bacteria to absorb the extra nitrite then neutralized the chlorine. So the final discharge into the Las Vegas Wash was not disinfected. Lab superintendent Deborah Bolden says the valley's drinking water was in no danger because the drinking water plant disinfects everything it takes in that still could lead potential danger to people swimming in Lake Mead during those nine days in 1994. At the point that you you get far enough out in the bay that are designated for direct body contact. There might not have been would you have gone swimming in it? Yes. Are you talking about in the light? Yes, I would have swam in the lake. At that time. You wouldn't have any problems or concerns. know now what the problem was eventually solved when plant management brought in an expert from Oregon to determine exactly what was going on.
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