A mechanical failure at a City of Fernley wastewater lift station Friday sent raw sewage across the surrounding area and onto nearby property, prompting cleanup work and renewed questions about the location of municipal Well 9 and the condition of the city’s wastewater infrastructure.
A City of Fernley Public Works employee working at the site Saturday said that a component failed below ground inside the lift station Friday. Bypass pumping equipment remained in place Saturday, and crews had been working around the facility and adjacent property.
Fernley City Councilman Ryan Hanan said Well 9 is located east and slightly uphill from the lift station and that the wastewater flowed south, away from the well.
“Well number nine is to the east and slightly uphill, and the fluid went south from the lift station and into the desert,” Hanan said. He said the affected area had been disinfected with a solution of warm water and chlorine and that he had been told the release was not expected to affect the well.
The Fernley Reporter was on scene Saturday and observed bypass equipment, disturbed ground and cleanup activity in the vicinity.
The proximity of Well 9 to sewer infrastructure has been a documented concern for years.
In June 2020, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection raised concerns about Wells 9 and 9A and nearby potential contamination sources. NDEP noted that if either well were affected by a contaminant, corrective measures could include additional monitoring, protective measures, treatment or abandonment of the water source, depending upon the circumstances and potential public-health threat.
Later that year, developer Mark IV Capital brought the issue before the Fernley City Council while planning the industrial rail lead for the Victory Logistics District.
Mark IV proposed relocating Well 9 approximately 300 feet from its existing location and at least 150 feet from the sewer force main. According to the company’s presentation, Mark IV would pay all costs associated with drilling the replacement well and connecting it to the existing system. The proposal said moving the well would increase separation between the city wells and “mitigate contamination risk.”
On Dec. 16, 2020, the City Council unanimously directed Mark IV and city staff to move forward with a conceptual design based on that option, including moving Well 9, protecting the lift station and relocating a transformer if necessary. The action was specifically described at the time as conceptual rather than final design approval.
Well 9 remains at its existing location.
Rick Nelson of Mark IV Capital said Friday’s failure illustrates the concern the company had raised years earlier.
Nelson said Mark IV had repeatedly offered to move Well 9 at the company’s expense because of its proximity to wastewater infrastructure. He said the company considered the relocation a way to reduce the risk posed by an infrastructure failure.
Nelson also said wastewater from Friday’s incident traveled onto Mark IV property and affected the area around recently constructed railroad infrastructure. The extent of any damage or contamination to private property has not yet been independently confirmed.
City records show Fernley has recently undertaken broader planning for its wastewater system.
The City Council in August adopted a 2026 Sewer Master Plan identifying existing infrastructure deficiencies and laying out phased capital improvements. Among the projects categorized as existing maintenance and repair needs are approximately $1.63 million in SCADA upgrades, $1.26 million in lift-station modernization and a $2.97 million East Lift Station and force-main project.
The plan also identifies a $26.55 million future expansion of the East Wastewater Treatment Plant.
It is not yet clear whether the equipment that failed Friday is part of any project identified in the master plan.
The city’s wastewater facility has also operated under previous regulatory scrutiny. An NDEP permit fact sheet states the East Wastewater Treatment Plant has previously experienced exceedances involving fecal coliform, biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids. NDEP also entered into an administrative order with the city concerning elevated nitrogen detected in a monitoring well; that order was completed in November 2022. Those earlier issues have not been linked to Friday’s incident.
The Fernley Reporter is seeking additional information from the city regarding the cause of Friday’s failure, the estimated volume released, whether the incident was reported to NDEP, whether Well 9 has been taken offline or sampled, and whether the failed equipment had previously been identified for repair or replacement.
The Reporter is also reviewing the history of the proposed Well 9 relocation and will follow this story as additional information becomes available.
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