PORT LUDLOW — Jefferson County Public Health officials said Friday that Port Ludlow Bay is safe once again after 5,000 gallons of partially treated sewage spilled into the bay Tuesday and prompted its closure to swimming and other contact.
“As of [Friday] the warning signs have been removed and the no-water-contact advisory has been lifted,” county Environmental Health Specialist Allison Petty said.
“It was a pretty isolated event, and we erred on the side of caution.”
Olympic Water and Sewer president Larry Smith on Wednesday said the sewage release was the result of a “routine operation that went awry.”
The spill occurred during a routine maintenance check after a valve did not close, he said, and the company reviewed its procedures to prevent future spills.
“The plant is operating normally,” Greg Rae, operations supervisor for the company that operates the Port Ludlow sewage treatment system, said Friday, declining to comment further.
Smith was not available for comment Friday.
The 1 p.m. Tuesday spill prompted the Jefferson County Public Health Department to issue a health advisory forbidding any swimming until Friday.
The company posted several signs at access points on Wednesday to alert the public.
Mark Toy, an environmental manager for the state Department of Health said the sewage was “return activated sludge” that was about midway in the treatment from solid waste into that which is safe to allow into Puget Sound.
The release occurred 300 feet from shore at a depth of 60 feet, he said.
Toy said that a shellfish closure currently in effect made the spill is less severe.
Spills of this nature dilute by a factor of 10 on a daily basis, he said, and a wider closure was not necessary.
Petty said Public Health received a number of questions from those around the bay.
“Some questioned about crabbing, but in such a case you only needed to wash your hands and keep the crabs clean,” Petty said, adding that, just as a precaution, crabbers should probably avoid dropping and pulling pots until any closure is lifted.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
