A tug boat's anchor damaged a 20-inch pipe near the Great Bridge Lock in Chesapeake, causing 2.5 million gallons of wastewater to spill into a canal off the Elizabeth River over the weekend.
Leila Rice, the spokesperson for the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, confirmed to News 3 crews were alerted to the pipe break at 6 p.m. Friday and found the actual incident happened around 1 p.m. the same day.
"Once we were made aware of the line break, our crews were able to valve off the flow and divert it away from the site," Rice told News 3 over the phone. "We worked very quickly to stop the wastewater from spilling."
The spill was under control by 8 p.m. Friday, Rice said.
Rice said the district treats about 155 million gallons of wastewater per day.
It's unclear how long it will take crews to repair the pipe which Rice said would likely involve dive teams.
Officials said no service disruptions or injuries have been reported due to the line break. Officials will be working with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to monitor the waterway.
The HRSD is asking residents to avoid the water.
"If you come into contact with water in the affected area, promptly wash exposed skin with soap and water," according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Equality.
