VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A sewage spill in Virginia Beach’s Broad Bay Island neighborhood has prompted health officials to temporarily ban the harvesting and consumption of shellfish from nearby waters.
Residents reported a foul odor Saturday night after a pump house along Broad Bay Road began leaking sewage.
Neighbor Craig Campbell, who lives next to the site, said he noticed water gushing from the building.
“We came out and looked, and water was gushing from the sewage processing building, which is right behind those trees,” Campbell said. “It was filling that guy’s yard, coming under that white fence and pouring into the canal.”
According to the Virginia Department of Health, a leaking hose inside the pump house caused the spill. Sewage leaked into a neighboring yard before entering Broad Bay.
Campbell said this isn’t the first time residents have dealt with issues from the same facility.
“They have regular incidents in that system, and it needs to be replaced or repaired significantly,” he said.
Health officials estimate between 1,000 and 5,000 gallons of sewage may have entered the water.
The affected area is within 300 feet of a local oyster farming zone.
Because oysters filter water as they feed, they can absorb harmful bacteria and viruses from sewage.
Adam Wood with the Virginia Department of Health said eating contaminated oysters could cause serious illness.
“They are filter feeders,” Wood said. “They bring in everything from the water — including communicable diseases that might be present.”
The department has advised against consuming oysters or other shellfish harvested from Broad Bay through at least Nov. 30.
Officials plan to collect samples next week to determine if the advisory could be lifted sooner.
