Sewer maintenance crews responded on Thursday evening to a sewage release from a manhole near 7320 SW 69th Ave into Woods Creek, a tributary of Fanno Creek in Southwest Portland.
Crews estimate that about 90,000 gallons were released before they stopped the flow. A cleanup crew has been deployed to clean the roadway. Crews posted warning signs along Woods Creek and nearby Fanno Creek.
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The sewage release occurred on the City of Portland's Fanno Basin Pressure Line improvement project. Following successful testing, the line was returned to service, and it was discovered that a drain line had been left open in error by the work crew. The valve was closed at 5:45 p.m. Thursday evening. Cleanup began, led by the City of Beaverton, Clean Water Services and City of Portland remediation contractors. This incident was not caused by a failure of the pressure sewer line or the nearby pump stations and is not related to the sewage release into Woods Creek earlier this week, which was caused by a private sewer line.
A cleanup crew has been deployed to clean the roadway. Crews have taken water quality samples from five sites on Woods Creek and Fanno Creek and posted warning signs along the waterways as far downstream as SW Scholls Ferry Road in Beaverton.
Sewage releases into streams can have an impact on fish and aquatic species. The City of Portland, Clean Water Services and the City of Beaverton are investigating any impact and will update the public as more information is available.
As a precaution, the public is advised to adhere to the warning signs posted at the site and avoid contact with Woods Creek and Fanno Creek in that area for at least 48 hours because of the possibility of increased bacteria in the water.
The sewage release does not affect swimming in the Willamette River or the Big Float event this weekend.
Source: Portland Bureau of Environmental Services