PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Nearly 40 days after 3.1 million gallons of raw sewage spilled onto Douglas Avenue and into Hull Creek, officials are still working on a plan to treat sediment and solids left behind in the waterway.
The Aug. 4 spill happened after a 30-inch sewer force main installed in 1943 failed. Emergency repairs were completed Aug. 7, but the focus has now shifted to determining what should be done with material that settled into the creek.
Neighbors told WTKR the smell has improved since the spill, but flushable wipes, pads and other debris can still be seen in the water at low tide.
Michael Echevarria, an environmental scientist with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, said HRSD is finishing its sampling process before deciding how to move forward.
Echevarria said the team is working with Kimley-Horn and the Elizabeth River Project to develop two or three options for addressing the affected sediment.
One option could involve removing the contaminated sediment through a shallow dredging process, Echevarria said. Another option being considered is capping the sediment, potentially using activated carbon.
Echevarria said capping could be more complicated because Hull Creek is shallow, meaning boat propellers or storms could disturb the material.
He said the team also needs to determine how deep the affected sediment goes before deciding whether excavation is appropriate.
"We want to make sure that we're doing right by the environment, but we're also making sure that the residents are able to utilize the waterway the way that they did previously and would like to continue doing," Echevarria said.
Echevarria said developing multiple options will allow officials to consider the environmental impacts of each approach while also getting feedback from residents who use the waterway for activities such as boating, fishing and crabbing.
The shallow nature of Hull Creek is one reason the process is taking longer, Echevarria said.
"Usually once these events occur, the natural waterways remediate themselves, and unfortunately because of how shallow this creek is and where it's at, it doesn't get flushed out nearly as quickly as a lot of the other areas in Hampton Roads," Echevarria said.
Echevarria said HRSD has been collecting samples to better understand the extent of the affected sediment. The team also expanded its sampling after its initial work and collected additional samples last week.
"Really the focus point right now is the sediments, because unfortunately, unlike the water, the sediment kind of sits there," Echevarria said.
He said HRSD wants to avoid making a decision that could cause more environmental harm, particularly because disturbing sediment can potentially spread contaminants.
Elizabeth River Project Lead Scientist Ella DiPetto said her organization is not making the final remediation decisions. She said those decisions are up to HRSD and its subcontractor, while the Elizabeth River Project is available to provide technical advice and help with community outreach.
DiPetto said the Elizabeth River Project wants to make sure residents have a voice once remediation options are presented.
"We're encouraging them to broaden that engagement to include the overall community," DiPetto said.
DiPetto said the Elizabeth River Project has not yet conducted its own outreach because it is waiting for direction from HRSD. She said HRSD has communicated directly with residents who were affected by the spill, but she wants engagement to eventually include the broader community connected to the watershed.
DiPetto said the organization can help connect residents, stakeholders and technical experts as HRSD develops its options.
HRSD plans to hold a community meeting to walk residents through the proposed remediation options, including the pros and cons of each, and gather feedback.
There is not yet a timeline for that meeting or for a final remediation plan.
DiPetto said the agencies are trying to move the process along, but developing a solution based on sampling and environmental data can take time.
"We are trying to work fast," DiPetto said. "Community engagement can and should start as soon as possible."
For now, HRSD is continuing its sampling and working with its partners on potential remediation options for Hull Creek.
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