PORT ANGELES — The recent rainstorm has caused a flood of a different kind.
A river of untreated sewage and stormwater dumped into Port Angeles Harbor late Saturday and Sunday, causing the Clallam County Health Department to advise everyone to stay out of the water for the next week.
About 15 million gallons was released through four outfall pipes.
The advisory, prompted by concerns of people having contact with fecal coliform bacteria, went into effect Monday and will last seven days.
The discharges of untreated effluent occur when stormwater overflows the city’s sewer system, causing the less-than-pleasant mixture to spill into the harbor before it can be treated.
The overflows are nothing new to Port Angeles. For example, according to the city of Port Angeles’ website at www.cityofpa.us, between 30 and 110 overflows have occurred each year since 2003.
What makes this one significant, and worth advising, is its magnitude, said Dr. Tom Locke, health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties.
Last weekend’s overflow is the largest since Dec. 2, 2007, when about 17.2 million gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater spilled into the harbor.
“Often, we see it in the thousands or hundreds of thousands,” Locke said. “This was 15 million.
“That’s just huge.”
Most of the effluent is stormwater, and the sewage is heavily diluted, but there is still concern about people coming in contact with fecal coliform, he said.
The bacteria can cause stomach flu symptoms, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses, the Health Department said in a statement.
It usually takes the tide seven days to remove much of the sewage from the harbor, Locke said.
The city is embarking on an approximately $40 million project to reduce the number of overflows to no more than four a year by 2016.
The project is mandated by the state Department of Ecology and meant to bring the city into compliance with state and federal water-quality laws.
To help resolve the problem, the city acquired a large tank on Rayonier Inc.’s former mill site in November to temporarily store the effluent during storm events.
Locke said it’s possible that rain forecast for this week will cause another overflow.
If that happens, the advisory will likely be extended, he said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.