City says drinking water not affected by sewage spill at Bloedel Donovan Park

The waterfront at Bloedel Donovan Park remained off-limits Thursday after a serious sewage spill i to Lake Whatcom on Wednesday afternoon, city officials said.

About 25,000 to 50,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled when a contractor working on the Electric Avenue bridge hit the buried pipe, according to a statement issued at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Drinking water was not affected, Public Works Department spokeswoman Riley Grant said online.

“Our technology had indicated the (sewer) line was located in a different position, leading to the unexpected rupture,” Grant said.

It was the second such incident involving a bridge crew in the past 24 hours. A natural gas pipeline was severed Thursday morning during work on the Meador Avenue bridge, forcing a shelter in place or evacuation order.

In the Bloedel-Donovan Park incident, Grant said the sewer line was shut off and sewer service was redirected to an adjacent line.

“As a precautionary measure, access to the beach at Bloedel Donovan Park remains temporarily closed until water quality testing confirms that there are no residual concerns. Community members, including dogs, should avoid contact with water in the areas near Bloedel Donovan Park until we can confirm water quality impacts” Grant said.

Sewage is expected to disperse as it combines with water from Lake Whatcom, which is the source of drinking water for about 100,000 Bellingham-area residents.

“We are monitoring the situation closely to assess any potential downstream or ecological effects,” Grant said.

In an update about the situation Thursday afternoon, Grant said that the city’s drinking water was not affected because the water treatment plant intake is located over a mile upstream from the site of the spill.

“Our treatment plant is designed to remove a wide range of contaminants, including pathogens and other harmful substances that may be present in untreated sewage,” she said.

City engineers released more water from Lake Whatcom into Whatcom Creek in an effort to flush the sewage.

“Staff are collecting water quality samples along Whatcom Creek, coordinating with Whatcom County Health and Community Services and will share results when they are available,” Grant said.

The sewage spill is not expected to delay the scheduled re-opening of the Electric Avenue bridge next week.