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The Water Authority spill occurred on Dec. 26. Students were on winter break at the time and didn’t return to school until Jan. 7. By that time, we had been assured by the ABCWUA that the spill had been cleaned up in accordance with the agency’s EPA permit, a process that included vacuum trucks and chlorine solution.
Representatives from the APS Real Estate Office joined ABCWUA to inspect the site on Jan. 6 and saw no evidence of the spill. They reported that the soil was dry, they saw no sewage remnants, nor did they detect an odor. The portion of the campus affected by the spill is fenced off and not accessible to students – that was the case at the time of the spill and remains the case today.
APS Environmental staff also visited the site on Jan. 6 and found no evidence of the spill. Consequently, our Maintenance & Operations Department, based on ABCWUA assurances and inspections conducted by APS staff, determined that the situation had been fully addressed and did not notify Harrison Middle School officials. As a result, families and students weren’t notified.
In hindsight, we regret not letting our students, families and staff know what happened during winter break.
