Sewer pipe fixed after two million gallon leak

A faulty valve was the cause of a pipeline breach that poured two million gallons of untreated wastewater into a Sonoma Valley slough, according to the Sonoma County Sanitation District.

The wastewater, enough to fill 50 large swimming pools, poured into Schell Slough along Highway 12 in Schellville on January 11. The breach lasted about 24 hours before repairs were made about 11 a.m. on Saturday.

There were no immediate ecological concerns, the SCSD said, and the slough will not be drained or pumped out.

“The slough has a lot of water in it due to the recent rains,” said spokesperson Ann DuBay. “And, because this was a pretty slow leak, the wastewater was very diluted in the slough water, and there was nothing visible to the eye.”

The State Office of Emergency Services, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board and California Department of Fish & Wildlife were notified. Environmental specialists were dispatched to the site, and did not observe any dead or distressed fish or other species.

The pipe is part of the system that sends wastewater to the District’s treatment plant on Eighth Street East.