Hollywood Road wastewater plant drop-off site is no longer operational at full capacity

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) -The Hollywood Road wastewater plant drop-off site is no longer operational at full capacity.

Due to an overflow during earlier flooding this year, it has not fully recovered since.

Previously, companies could easily come and dump contents from septic systems without scheduling in advance. However, the city is now implementing a scheduling system to ensure the wastewater system can handle the load.

“Each of these components of the plant are going to be repaired as we can get to them and schedule that. The team is meeting with the engineers right now to identify the best path forward. This is a whole unit and a whole component of the plant that has to be upgraded and repaired due to the amount of damage that occurred,” explains Floyd Hartman, Assistant City Manager.

Specifically, the screen below the drop-off point needs replacement.

With the plant closing down repeatedly every few days, septic tank companies in the area are struggling to find places to dump wastewater.

Not only is it impacting companies, but also customers.

“Brand new homes, million-dollar homes with waste sitting in the shower waiting on us to come help and there’s nothing we can do about it. I mean, they are mad. They want answers and we have nothing besides the plants broke,” says one septic system pumper.

The closest dumping site allowing Amarillo waste is Lubbock.

“For us to go to Lubbock, it would cost us, in turn, we have to charge the homeowner, and the fees would triple,” explains one septic system pumper.

While there are other wastewater plants in town, only one allows drop-off.

“This is a permitted process through the TCEQ and in Potter and Randall county, Hollywood road is the only place I know that’s permitted to do that,” says Hartman.

For now, all pumpers and customers can do is wait.

“Until the city opens us back up to be able to dump, we’re dead in the water,” says one septic system company.

The septic system pumpers believe this is posing environmental and health risks.

“People are gonna have to open their eyes, this is not gonna go away. They are gonna have to fund it so they can build a new plant, period. They have to have it. This is not something we can do without,” says one septic system company.

Copyright 2023 KFDA. All rights reserved.