WASHINGTON — Arlington County advised the public on Saturday to avoid water downstream of the pedestrian bridge on Donaldson Run near Military Road because of a broken sewage pipe and sewage release.
The spill was discovered near the 3000 block of North Stuart Street just after 7 p.m. on Friday night and an Arlington Alert was issued.
Arlington County released a statement that the County’s Department of Environmental Services are on-scene for repairs and will use vacuum pumps to collect as much sewage as possible. The size of the spill has not yet been determined.
The public is advised to stay away from the affected water and to keep pets away until further notice, to eliminate the risk of exposure to raw sewage in the stream.
People are further advised not to fish in the stream or have any contact with the water – including wading or swimming – until further notice from Arlington County.
The advisory to avoid all contact is considered an extra precaution to allow the effect of the discharge to be diminished by natural flushing of the streams, according to the statement. More information and safety tips on Arlington streams, including information on reporting stream pollution incidents, on the Department of Environmental Service website.
Arlington County further reminds the public that stream water can contain microorganisms which can make people sick and that even after the discharge is naturally flushed from the streams, the County’s normal precautions for safe use of streams will apply.
