An estimated 5,000- to 8,000-gallon sewage overflow occurred on Monday in Discovery Bay’s Lakes development, but the good news is that this time around, the only mess that needed cleaning up was the one already on the ground.

According to General Manager Virgil Koehne, Discovery Bay’s new contractor, Veolia Water, arrived on the scene immediately following a call from a Lakeshore resident who reported a sewage backup in her backyard. The source of the spill was located at a sewer manhole near the intersection of Oasis Drive and South Lakefront Loop at the Lakes’ Village Three.

The cause of the spill is believed to be a manufacturing defect on a PVC pipe, which broke loose at a nearby sewer force main clean-out site. A series of spills, including one of nearly 100,000 gallons, occurred last year under the watch of the town’s previous contractor, SouthWest Water, leading to public outcry over SouthWest’s response.

This time, the spill “was all handled very well,” said Koehne. “Veolia responded very quickly and evaluated the situation, shut down the pumps, brought in our vac trucks and got to work.”

Within a couple of hours, said Koehne, the clean-out was fixed, signs and safety cones were posted around the area at the Lakes, and the proper state agencies had been notified.

Local resident Chris Finetti, who happened upon the scene, said that the situation appeared to be well in hand.

“From my perspective, it seemed that Virgil and Veolia Water took charge and took immediate action to both assess and resolve the spill,” Finetti said in an e-mail to the Press. “While it’s unfortunate to have another spill, these situations do occur, and based on what I saw, I felt confident that the CSD and town staff appropriated all the proper procedures to ensure the public safety.”

All in all, said CSD President Ray Tetrault – who arrived on the scene soon after the spill – the event was really a non-event. And that, he says, is a welcome relief. “I was pleased with the way things were handled so quickly and efficiently,” he said. “It was much different than situations in the past and I was happy to see that it was not an operator error.

“I’ve been attending weekly meetings with these guys (Veolia Water employees) and we’ve developed a punch list of items and every week we go over them. I’m glad to see that procedures seem to be working.”

Coming on the heels of the tempestuous relationship with SouthWest, which abruptly terminated its contract with the town in January, Veolia’s first spill response in Discovery Bay gave the company an opportunity to demonstrate its capabilities.

“I can tell you that everyone responded very quickly to the spill,” said Veolia Spokesperson Shilen Patel. “The site was cleaned up and we will get an update to the CSD as soon as we can.

“When a parent or a homeowner is involved in something like this, every minute counts. We want to make sure that public is safe. Our goals are to respond immediately and efficiently.”