The Harris Branch Creek tributary in northeast Austin is beginning to suffer a spill of acid debris that killed aquatic life in the creek.
Samsung’s semiconductor plant discharged up to 763,000 gallons of acidic waste into its stormwater basin and into a link tributary in January. The spill caused the waterway’s pH to drop to a fatal point for virtually every aquatic creature that has settled in the creek. But after several months of monitoring, Katie Coyne, an environmental officer with the city’s watershed coverage department, told the Environmental Commission that species were beginning to recover. Water quality monitoring and an investigation into the incident are ongoing.
Coyne reported that a representative hired through Samsung conducted an aquatic study in several spaces of the tributary last April “that evaluated the ecological situations in the water. The report noted varied aquatic and biological life in the tributary, adding fish and invertebrate species present.
The Harris Branch Homeowners Association works with Samsung to identify spaces along the tributary where the ecosystem can be enhanced. The spaces have been rethought and will be reviewed in the coming weeks to identify next steps.
Coyne also noted that Samsung is working with the basin to fix its retention pond at the site and dredge infected sediments at the back of the basin. Dredging is expected to be completed in early June, when the service will help the company recover the pond. It’s working.
“This will consist of a final measurement of water quality followed by a volume loss check and an assessment of aquatic species in the pond that includes the plant and fish ecosystem,” Coyne told the commission.
The basin found no evidence of more pollutant emissions in the waterway. The ministry will continue to monitor the tributary weekly until the stormwater pond has returned to production.
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City of Austin Environmental Commission: An advisory board comprised of members of the Austin City Council. Its scope includes “all projects and systems that improve the quality of life for the citizens of Austin. “In many cases, this includes progression projects.
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