Raw sewage has spilled into a southern Carroll County stream, prompting warnings against wading, fishing, even walking along the shoreline.
Drinking water is not affected because the waterway is downstream from Piney Run and Liberty lakes. To be safe, however, health officials have asked residents to stay away from the stream, known as Piney Run.
Officials estimated that about 1 million gallons of untreated sewage spilled into the stream near Slacks Road in Sykesville.
"We are warning people not to have any contact with the stream water," said Edwin F. Singer, the county's assistant director of environmental health. "This was raw sewage that came out of the pipe before it could be treated at our plant. Once it has spilled, there is not a lot we can do other than let Mother Nature take its course. The more rainfall we have, the quicker it will flow through."
Raw sewage poses a health hazard because it contains viruses and other pathogens carried by human waste, Singer said.
"Playing in the stream could lead to gastrointestinal illnesses," he said.
Maintenance crews discovered a ruptured 12-inch water main Sunday morning and immediately began repairs to the area near Springfield Hospital Center.
"We have no idea when the sewage actually spilled out of the ground," Douglas Myers, Carroll's director of public works, said. "But it is contained now."
Crews have installed a temporary pipe and will install a new line today, Myers said. A pump will divert the sewage from the area under repair and prevent further spilling, he said. Workers also have spread lime on the ground to cut odors.
Myers attributed the break to the aging pipe, which was installed about 30 years ago, and normal settling of the ground.
Singer expects to take samples of water above and below the spill area today. Eventually, the stream will flush out the wastewater on its own and the spill should not have an adverse impact on the Patapsco River, said Singer.
