Wastewater diverted into James River
NEWPORT NEWS — With no other options, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District had to divert untreated wastewater into the James River after a major line break Monday in Newport News.
The line spilled wastewater into 16th Street in the area between Garden Drive and Walnut Avenue.
The wastewater did not reach inside any of the homes in the area, but it spilled into the yards.
“Diverting untreated wastewater into local waterways is a last resort when there are no other alternatives,” HRSD spokeswoman Leila Rice said in a news release.
In the case of a break where existing infrastructure will allow it, HRSD first tries to divert wastewater to another treatment plant, Rice said. If that’s not an option they’ll try to pump the water and haul it away.
“Unfortunately, the volumes from the 36-inch force main were too much for a pump and haul, so this diversion was, as mentioned, a last resort,” Rice said in an email.
Crews completed a connection to the Claremont Pump Station on Chesapeake Avenue to divert wastewater flows away from the homes and businesses along 16th Street and send it into the waterway until the line is repaired.
“Fortunately, the diversion at the Claremont Pump Station is into the Hampton Roads, a very large body of water with hundreds of trillions of gallons of water flushed in and out with the daily tidal cycle,” Rice said.
“Sampling during past events has shown nature can restore the water to pre-spill conditions rapidly after a very rare and short duration spill.”
Allen Kemp, who lives on Chesapeake Avenue, said he noticed the crews unloading the pipe Monday night, but didn’t think much of it until he looked out his window Tuesday morning.
“I saw this strange looking black water out there — the sun hadn’t quite come up yet — and I thought that’s just a really weird pattern in the water,” Kemp said.
He’s concerned about the pollution in the waterway, especially after he saw the seagulls flocking to it “like the landfills.”
“It’s upsetting to me, but at the same time I realize, my educated brain says they probably don’t have any alternatives, but this is a disaster,” Kemp said.
“I’m thinking oh my goodness the volume of the water — and it’s black water — it’s your toilet flushes, your kitchen sink, it’s your shower, everything we send down the drains going straight into the river,” he added.
The Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality are working with HRSD to monitor the spill.
VDH issued an emergency shellfish harvesting closure Tuesday on the James River and its tributaries in Newport News, Suffolk and Isle of Wight County.
The health department said it is not safe to consume shellfish from the area because it is likely the sewage contains pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
The closure is in effect until Jan. 25.
Gregory Bilyeu, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, said Wednesday that the department will be monitoring the status of repairs keeping an eye on environmental effects.
He said the health department will determine when the waterway can return to normal use.
The emergency pipe was installed Monday, but Kemp said the first notice he received from HRSD came around 9 a.m. Wednesday.
A copy of the notice he provided to the Daily Press said the emergency pipe will remain in place until the failed pipe can be repaired.
The notice said the repairs were a “complex operation” and may take a day or more.
The notice said residents in the area may notice visible debris, darker water and some odor.
Rice said preliminary inspections found that interior corrosion caused the line break. A signed detour is directing traffic around the area on 16th Street where crews are making repairs and cleaning up.
“Residents can expect extensive construction activity and a long-term lane closure within the affected area as pipe repairs get underway,” Rice said.