Temporary Emergency Sewage Discharge

(OGALLALA, Neb.) — Many residents in and around Ogallala are asking “What is that smell!?”

The Ogallala/Keith County Bulletin Board posted “Due to a major malfunction of the south Ogallala wastewater lift station, effluent will be bypass discharged into a dry channel of the South Platte River”.

If you have any questions, please contact Kevin Wilkins at 284–6001.

The city will need to replace two new pumps and they say this is only temporary.

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Midwest Media by Melanie followed up with Ogallala’s City Manager, Kevin Wilkins and wrote this report on her page.

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The City of Ogallala is temporarily discharging untreated wastewater into a dry channel of the South Platte River after a mechanical failure shut down a major sewage lift station serving the community.

Ogallala City Manager Kevin Wilkins said both pumps at the lift station failed, including the system’s built-in redundancy, leaving the city with no way to move effluent from the south side sewage shed to the treatment system.

“There are two pumps — there is redundancy in there — and the redundancy failed,” Wilkins said. “In order to repair it, we have to install two new pumps.”

While awaiting the arrival and installation of the replacement pumps, the city has begun controlled surface discharges of effluent to prevent sewage from backing up into homes and private property.

“We are pumping at a rate of about 900 gallons per hour, roughly six hours a day, to avoid backup into private property,” Wilkins said. “We are mitigating any property damage that would occur by backup. It is not ideal, and it is a last resort that we dump the effluent on the ground.”

Wilkins confirmed the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment was notified before the city began discharging. He said the city anticipates the lift station will be fully operational again by Wednesday, January 7, 2026.

According to Wilkins, the wastewater being released is primarily domestic sewage with no industrial component and is more than 95 percent water. The discharge area is located well away from the river channel and consists largely of sugar sand, which allows the liquid to soak into the ground.

“It is unlikely that the liquid form would be able to flow to the river,” he said. “The area that the effluent is being discharged is well away from the river channel.”

The repair project, including the purchase of two new pumps and restoring the lift station to full operation, is expected to cost approximately $127,000, which has already been approved.

Wilkins said the city does not anticipate a public health hazard due to the location and limited duration of the discharge.

“Although not ideal, we are not anticipating any biohazards that should impact the public, due to the location the effluent is being discharged,” he said.

He added that natural microbial processes will break down any biosolids present.

“There will be natural microbial activity that will digest any biosolids included in the discharge,” Wilkins explained. “It’s the same type of biology that happens in a septic tank. Once you flush a toilet, that process already starts.”

City officials estimate the affected area to be relatively small — roughly 50 feet by 100 feet — and say the site is being monitored under state regulations. The city is tracking exactly how much effluent is released and observing the area for any potential environmental or biohazard concerns.

Wilkins also addressed concerns about groundwater, including the Ogallala Aquifer, stating the current situation poses less risk than many common agricultural practices.

“The percolation off of livestock feeding would be of more detriment than the small amount of effluent that we will be discharging,” he said. “The larger concern would be if we were discharging directly into a moving stream of water, which we are not.”

He emphasized that the discharge is strictly temporary.

“Yes, it is going on the ground. Yes, it’s not ideal,” Wilkins said. “This will be a very limited time, not a permanent solution.”

City officials say monitoring will continue until the new pumps are installed and the lift station is fully restored.