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Two weeks after a dredge’s anchor ruptured a pipeline that spilled 2.5 million gallons of raw sewage into a branch of the Elizabeth River, the Chesapeake Health Department has lifted the health advisory on the water around the Great Bridge Lock.
CHD staff pulled up the warning signs in the area of the canal that connects the river to the Intracoastal Waterway on Saturday, according to spokesperson Kimi Stevens, allowing recreational activities to resume.
A tugboat moving a dredge owned by Norfolk Dredging on March 10 reported at about 1 p.m. that one of the dredge’s spuds — a large stake used as an anchor — was “stuck on something.” That something turned out to be a wastewater line operated by the Hampton Roads Sanitation District. The rupture spewed waste into the waterway over the next seven hours before crews could divert the sewage away from the damaged pipe.
The leak caused levels of the bacteria enterococcus in the advisory area to increase by as much as 2,200% by March 14, according to data provided by HRSD. Samples taken March 11 from the surrounding area recorded a peak amount of enterococcus — the best indicator of contamination by human waste matter — at 12,300 MPN/100mL, a unit of measurement that refers to the “most probable number” of coliform-group organisms in 100 mL of water.
By March 24, samples taken at that same site recorded 10 MPN/100 mL of enterococcus. Samples from all the other testing sites in the area showed similar dropsover that time frame, with levels flattening out on March 17, according to HRSD’s data.
For comparison, the Virginia Department of Health’s standard for issuing swimming advisories for beaches is 104 MPN/100 mL of enterococcus, according to the agency’s website.
“The Chesapeake Health Department has monitored water quality in the river since the raw sewage release occurred and water sampling results by the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, confirming that the area is now safe for recreational water activities,” VDH said in a statement Tuesday.
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The health advisory was to be lifted on a “time-based approach,” meaning it would be in place for two weeks, according to Julie Laferriere, water compliance manager for the Tidewater office of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. She said the results from HRSD’s testing showed CHD officials the sewage was “doing what they expected it to do, which was to dissipate over time.”
“I think the monitoring results validated that approach,” Laferriere said.
Attempts to reach CHD officials were unsuccessful Monday and Tuesday.
No injuries were associated with the damage to the pipe. There were no impacts to HRSD’s services nor to marine traffic. Negative impacts to the surrounding groundwater are also not expected, according Laferriere.
[ Previously: Leaked waste causes a stink for Chesapeake rowing club ]
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“Groundwater impacts aren’t expected because it was a discharge almost directly into the waterway, so maybe if it were on land we might be a little concerned about that but in this case we’re not really concerned about groundwater discharges,” Laferriere said in an interview the week after the spill. “We also don’t expect there to be any impacts to wildlife at this time. We conducted a site visit (on March 13) and there wasn’t anything observable in the water at that point in time ... what we would be looking for is any impacted fish, but we didn’t see any of that and we haven’t had any reports of that.”
HRSD will cover the initial cost of repair, though it is insured, according to spokesperson Leila Rice. HRSD is funded through fees for service, not tax dollars, Rice said.
Laferriere said the DEQ can take disciplinary action for discharge without a permit, but the investigation process is very slow.
Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com