THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 10, 1996 TAG: 9610100310
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MEREDITH COHN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 105 lines
Investigators had not determined Wednesday why a pipe broke, spewing an estimated 75,000 gallons of raw sewage through a Deep Creek neighborhood. At least two families remained displaced while waste water was being cleaned from their homes.
No one was hurt when the 24-inch pipe, a main sewage line for Hampton Roads, burst at about noon Tuesday near the corner of Winslow Avenue and Woodbriar Lane in the Forest Cove neighborhood.
The Chesapeake Health Department has been distributing fliers door to door explaining precautions residents should take to avoid health risks. The most important steps include washing hands thoroughly, avoiding walks through yards that were contaminated with sewage, and hosing down pets that wander into it. Tap water is safe to drink, said Nancy M. Welch, department director.
The state Department of Environmental Quality will monitor the effects on nearby Deep Creek, which flows into the Elizabeth River.
Donnie Wheeler, director of water quality for the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, which maintains the pipe, said Wednesday the agency was still trying to determine what caused the pipe to break. He said the age of pipes is generally not a factor.
The breakdown is unusual, he said, and heavy rain from Tropical Storm Josephine put excessive pressure on the system and may have contributed to the problem. The damaged portion of the underground pipe was replaced, but workers found other areas in disrepair while the area was exposed. He said he didn't anticipate other breaks.
Wheeler said much of the sewage had already been pumped out by truck from lawns along Woodbriar, but additional layers of lime to kill bacteria will be applied to lawns in the area. They should ``green up in a few days and passers-by will never know there was wastewater on the ground,'' he said.
The lime causes the grass to look as if it has a layer of snow on it. Several back yards still look muddy, and markings remain from the sewage on houses, fences and children's toys left outdoors.
The sanitation district intends to pay the cost of cleanup of damaged homes and yard items. There is no estimate yet for damages to the pipe or the homes.
Dave Temple, whose home on Woodbriar Lane was flooded, has been staying in a hotel with his wife and three children. The sanitation district hired a firm to clean and sanitize his house, but it will be at least a few more days before the family can return.
The floors, stripped to the cement, need to dry. Then they will be treated with disinfectant and re-carpeted. Most of the major appliances will be replaced. They haven't started on the garage, and in the back yard, soggy pieces of the wooden deck are stacked.
Temple's wife, Renee, first saw the sewage seeping inside soon after the pipe broke. Dave Temple said she put the children on the sofa, rescued all 11 of their beagle puppies that were submerged in sewage in the back yard, and called police.
``She was standing in three inches of water and the wires from the appliances were hanging down in it; she was lucky she wasn't electrocuted,'' he said. ``I'll have it inspected before I let my little kids crawl around on the floor in there again.''
But Temple called the flooding an ``act of God,'' and didn't blame the sanitation department. ``I'm a contractor and that helped me deal with this. I know things like this happen because I've seen them - just never in my house.''
Temple is hoping to salvage the tile laid two weeks ago on the kitchen floor.
The barn belonging to Vicki Campbell, who lives next door to Temple, may not fare as well.
``We take such pride in our yard,'' said Campbell, who was not evacuated but is finding life at home a bit uncomfortable. Her golden retriever, Sadie, has developed an aversion to the neighborhood. ``The trucks and the people - she's scared.''
Campbell said the smell is probably going to be the most lasting effect from the spill.
``We were burning candles and spraying all night,'' she said. Her grandchildren, who often visit on the weekends and play in her yard, won't be coming over for a while because, she said, she's worried about the health risks.
Welch, of the health department, said animals or people who develop gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea or vomiting should see their doctors.
Two cases of salmonella and shigella have been recorded this year in the area, which means that bacteria may be present in the sewage and infections could be transmitted, Welch said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MORT FRYMAN/The Virginian-Pilot
Dave Temple stands in the living room of his Chesapeake home, where
the carpet has been removed so the floor can be thoroughly cleaned.
His family has been staying in a hotel.
Graphic
For those living in the affected area, the Chesapeake Health
Department recommends:
Avoid walking in yards that were contaminated with sewage
Do not walk barefoot
If you walk in sewage, clean your shoes with bleach and water
(just enough bleach so you can smell it)
Try to keep pets from walking in contaminated areas, and if they
do, hose them down before letting them in the house or playing with
them
Hose the undercarriage of cars exposed to raw sewage
Use good hand washing and often, and be sure to clean under the
fingernails
Do not fish in Deep Creek. Raw sewage drained through storm
drains into the creek. by CNB