CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Health officials and environmentalists are urging people to steer clear of a branch of the Elizabeth River in Chesapeake.
It's a warning that comes after a pipe was damaged by a tug boat, spewing wastewater into the river—2.5 million gallons to be exact, according to the Hampton Roads Sanitation District.
Joe Rieger, the deputy director of Restoration for the Elizabeth River Project, says damage to a pipe in the water wasn't ideal, but it could have been a lot worse.
Rieger said last Friday, there was a vessel close to the locks, and a spud hit one of the service lines for the Hampton Roads Sanitation District. Crews from HRSD responded and redirected the wastewater away from that pipe.
Now, a repair has to be made to the 20-inch damaged pipe.
Health officials and Elizabeth River Project officials aren't recommending people don't swim, fish or recreate in or near the water for a couple of days.
For now, experts will be monitoring bacteria levels and keep the pipe shut down until a fix can be made.
"I've been told it's going to take significant time to fix this pipe. How long it is, I do not know that. They will be wanting to reroute the waste back to that site as soon as possible," says Rieger.
News 3 reached out to the Hampton Roads Sanitation District about this incident who told us that the pipe is part of their wastewater infrastructure, so they'll be the ones fixing it.
HRSD officials said the plan of action is to have their insurance company file a claim with the party responsible for striking the pipe and damaging it. In terms of cost, that price tag is still pending.
The Hampton Roads Sanitation District said there hasn't been a complete assessment of the damaged section and they can't provide an estimation at this time.
