PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — About 3.15 million gallons of sewage spilled as the result of a pipe burst on Douglas Avenue near Rolfe Terrace in Portsmouth earlier this week as the Hampton Roads Sanitation District said it completed emergency repairs Friday.
The sewage spill, with its flow reaching three-to-four feet and lasting for about 11 hours, came amid severe weather that hit the region Tuesday. One person likened it to "a porta-potty on steroids."
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality said the city notified HRSD of the force main failure around 6 p.m., with a media advisory going out around 9:45 p.m. and HRSD notifying nearby residents by going door-to-door. Sewage was not able to be diverted to other parts of HRSD's sewage collection system, so it started round-the-clock pumping and hauling of sewage, which involved 30 trucks.
As HRSD pumped out the sewer main failure location, it dug down to expose the sewer main, finding a large hole in the top of the concrete pipe.
And while the emergency work is done, HRSD said drivers and residents would continue to see traffic impacts as crews start backfilling the excavation site and restore Douglas Avenue between Wesley Street and Rolfe Terrace.
That work will begin Saturday and will only be done during daytime working hours, with no work scheduled for Sunday. HRSD said it expects Douglas Avenue to be reopened as early by the end of the day Monday.
HRSD said that, due to the significant disturbance on Douglas Avenue from the sewage overflow and construction activities, contractors will not put down the final pavement surface for at least two weeks.
The sanitation district said it had finished emergency repairs on the failed 30-inch sewer force main on Douglas Avenue near Rolfe Terrace, and a 40-foot section of the pipeline has successfully been replaced and is back in service. As a result, it said it had finished around-the-clock pump and haul activities.
According to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, HRSD had completed as much of the adjacent Hull Creek cleanup as possible from land. The Portsmouth Health Department still has a recreational water advisory for Hull Creek, which flows into the western branch of the Elizabeth River.
The sanitation district said it would continue coordination efforts with the city of Portsmouth, the Virginia Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Quality and residents impacted by the sewage spill as it said remediation and restoration efforts continue.
Sewage overflow in Portsmouth prompts road closures and safety precautions
More information can be found on DEQ's Douglas Avenue Sewer Main Failure web page.
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