Feb. 9, 2017

Port Washington Narrows & Sinclair Inlet no-contact order extended and expanded to include Dyes Inlet due to combined sewer overflows

Eastern Bainbridge Island also impacted by large sewage spill in Seattle

KITSAP COUNTY, WA — The Kitsap Public Health District has extended an existing no-contact advisory for Port Washington Narrows and Sinclair Inlet through Thurs., Feb. 16., and is expanding the advisory to include Dyes Inlet due to two combined sewer overflows (CSO) reported by the City of Bremerton today.  

According to the City of Bremerton Public Works and Utilities Department, two separate CSOs occurred on the north and south shores of Port Washington Narrows, estimated at a total of 33,000 gallons. Both spills, caused by heavy rainfall, occurred between 8-9 a.m. today. 

Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) are a diluted mixture of untreated sewage and stormwater that are discharged into Puget Sound. They occur as a direct result of stormwater entering the sanitary sewer system during heavy rain storms. Under these conditions the system functioned as designed, discharging excess flow into marine water to prevent the back up of sewage into individual homes and businesses. For more information on Bremerton’s efforts to reduce CSOs, visit the City of Bremerton’s website.

Additionally, the District, in cooperation with the State Department of Health, has issued a no-contact advisory and shellfish harvesting closure for the eastern shoreline of Bainbridge Island, and the shoreline between Jefferson Point and Restoration Point, including Port Madison Bay, due to a large sewage spill from the West Point Treatment Plant near Discovery Park in Seattle.  For information on this spill, visit the King County Natural Resources and Parks website.  

Additional signage is being posted to warn the public in affected areas.

During a no-contact advisory, the public is advised to avoid contact with the water in the affected area.  This means no swimming, wading, or types of water play where water could be swallowed or get in the mouth, nose or eyes.  People should also avoid direct skin contact if possible, and immediately wash with soap and water if they have exposure to the water. 

An ongoing closure is in place for shellfish harvesting in Port Washington Narrows due to pollution.  For up-to-date information on shellfish harvesting throughout Kitsap County, visit www.kitsappublichealth.org/shellfish.

Kitsap Public Health provides information on shellfish harvesting, beach closures and other public health topics via the District’s website, Facebook page, and the Kitsap Electronic Notification System (KENS). Sign-up at www.kitsappublichealth.org/subscribe. 

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For more information on the CSO, please contact:
 
Pat Coxon | Wastewater Manager
Department of Public Works & Utilities
City of Bremerton
360-473-5400 - office
pat.coxon@ci.bremerton.wa.us
 
For more information on the sewage spill in Seattle, please contact:
 
Monica Van der Vieren | Media Relations
Department of Natural Resources and Parks
206-477-5502 - office
206-255-9105 - cell
Monica.VanDerVieren@kingcounty.gov
 
For more information on the no-contact advisories, please contact:
 
Karen McKay Bevers | Public Information Officer
Kitsap Public Health District
360-728-2330 - desk
360-710-1914 - cell
karen.bevers@kitsappublichealth.org