A second weekend sewage spill near Foley caused some of the 4,500 gallons that overflowed a manhole to reach Wolf Creek, and officials are urging caution for those interacting with associated bodies of water.

Riviera Utilities says equipment failure at the Wolf Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Foley, 100 Greentree Lane, caused the spill due to heavy rains. An afternoon storm on Sunday, Aug. 3, dropped 3 inches, as measured at the plant. During heavy rains, “excessive stormwater flows” are diverted to the stormwater basin onsite and then routed through the plant once the flows have subsided, company communications coordinator Lily Jackson wrote in a press release to notify the public.

When the diversion was enacted, the manhole at the head of the plant was hydraulically overloaded, resulting in the spill that allowed untreated wastewater to overflow the sanitary sewer manhole.

According to the report submitted to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management by the Utilities Board of the City of Foley, the spill began at 6:12 p.m. and lasted 15 minutes.

Responding crews cleaned and disinfected the area, Jackson wrote.

“While most was contained onsite, some flow from the manhole made its way to Wolf Creek,” she wrote.

While the report states no additional health or environmental impacts were detected, and the spill did not reach a designated swimming area, caution is still suggested.

“We urge residents to exercise caution using these associated bodies of water for recreational purposes, thoroughly cook any fish or seafood caught in these areas, and thoroughly wash their hands after handling any fish or seafood from these areas.”

This incident comes a day after 63,000 gallons of untreated wastewater flowed toward the Bon Secour River.

The utility company said a broken force main caused by a contractor working for another utility company led to the spill on Saturday, Aug. 2, around 12:30 p.m. near 19120 County Road 20. The contractor damaged an in-ground air release valve within a utility easement, the company said in a report and statement as previously reported by GCM. The break allowed raw sewage to flow from Riviera Utilities' collection system into a nearby drainage ditch that feeds an unnamed tributary of the Bon Secour River.

According to the report filed for this incident, the spill lasted roughly 30 minutes.

Per the report, the wastewater did not enter any designated swimming areas, and no public drinking water supplies were affected.