Aug 10, 2008 5:46 pm US/Pacific
Sewage Spills Overnite Into Sausalito Waters
SAUSALITO, CA (BCN) ―
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Richardson Bay, Sausalito, CA (CBS)
CBS
A blockage in a sewage pipe at a pump station caused sewage to spill into Richardson Bay in Sausalito Sunday at an estimated rate of 40 gallons per minute, Sausalito Chief of Police Scott Paulin said.
Police and fire departments were notified of the spill at about 12:15 p.m. from a pipe at the pump station at 201 Second St., according to Paulin.
Responding firefighters estimated sewage at that time was leaking into Richardson Bay at about 40 gallons per minute, although it was unknown whether sewage had been continuously spilling at that rate, Paulin said.
Officials from the U.S. Coast Guard, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District also responded.
Swede's Beach was subsequently closed to the public and boats were advised to avoid the area of the spill, according to Paulin.
Investigators are working to determine the volume of sewage that spilled since the leak could have occurred as early as 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Paulin said.
The pipe was unclogged by about 3 p.m. Sunday, according to Paulin.
"Visual inspection shows the sewage dissipated quickly," Paulin
said. "We didn't see large concentrations of sewage gathering in any big areas."
Sewage did back up into a laundry room at a condominium complex called Portofino Riviera, located next door to the pump station where the spill occurred, according to Paulin.
There have been no reports of any wildlife affected by the spill, Paulin said.
(© 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.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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