Loblolly Nature Park closed after wastewater release

Two unrelated releases of wastewater into Possum Creek were reported Friday, but city utility officials say there is no impact to Gainesville's drinking water supply.

The incidents at a construction site resulted in the release of wastewater into Possum Creek, which flows south into Hogtown Creek. The first incident occurred due to a failure of a contractor’s wastewater bypass; the second incident occurred when a contractor hit an underground wastewater pipe during construction, according to press release from Gainesville Regional Utilities.

GRU was notified of the release at 8:15 a.m. "and immediately took measures to stop the release and mitigate damage," GRU says.

The amount of spilled wastewater has not yet been determined, but GRU officials said Friday afternoon that it was stopped at about 11:15 a.m. GRU spokesman David Warm said well over 1,000 gallons were spilled. Oelrich Construction was the contractor.

Advisory signs have been posted along the creeks. Loblolly Nature Park has been closed until further notice.

Water quality samples of the creek are being collected and analyzed. GRU says it is working closely with the Alachua County Health Department, Alachua County Department of Environmental Protection, City Parks Department and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The area of greatest impact is between NW 16th Avenue and NW 8th Avenue, near NW 25th Terrace.