Feb 2, 2008 4:25 pm US/Pacific
Unhealthy Bacteria Levels After Bay Sewage Spill
MILL VALLEY (CBS 5 / BCN) ―
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South Marin Sanitation District's waste treatment facility that spilled sewage into Richardson Bay.
CBS
Test results released Saturday showed very high levels of bacteria in Richardson Bay after 2.7 million gallons of partially treated wastewater was accidently released into that arm of the San Francisco Bay.
Test samples taken at two locations near the spill site - Bay Front Office Park and Shelter Bay Mill Valley - indicated levels of contamination up to four times higher than the state standard, said Marin County sheriff's Lt. Doug Pittman.
Test data from two other locations - Schoonmaker Beach and Dunphy Park in Sausalito showed lower levels of bateria. A control sample taken from McNears Beach showed very few bateria.
As a result of the preliminary water testing, health officials reiterated a warning to avoid swimming, recreational water use, and sport fishing. County authorities indicated that public drinking water sources were not near the release site and were not threatened.
The spill occured Thursday night when a failed pump at the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin facility, located at 450 Sycamore Ave. in Mill Valley. An alarm system designed to alert officials of the pump failure also failed, Pittman said.
A second round of water quality testing was conducted Saturday to determine the need for ongoing public safety warnings, officials said. Those results were expected on Sunday or Monday.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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