VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.— Some people in Virginia Beach were shocked when the Virginia Department of Health announced that a portion of the Lynnhaven River is closed to shellfish harvesting due to a sewage release.
On Friday, some residents were surprised when they saw sewage in their yards.
"It was just straight water, I mean it was literal poop. I didn't come close enough because it was gross," said Shama, a Virginia Beach resident impacted by the sewage spill. She only shared her first name.
Shama lives near Shore Drive. She certainly didn't expect a sewage spill to happen right in front of her yard, and she wishes she would have gotten a heads-up from the city.
"Some notification saying 'hey, there's going to be a bunch of random men closing down your street, making noises at all odds of the night and it's going to smell like s*** for a couple of days' would be helpful," said Shama.
She said city crews have been trying to repair the line break for days.
"It just flooded the neighborhood with sewage," said Alan Haines, another resident impacted by the spill.
The spill prompted officials to ban shellfish harvesting along a portion of the Lynnhaven River for almost a month, leaving some fishermen who fish on the river to lose big bucks.
"It could be as much as $1,000 or more maybe even $2,000 per week for three weeks, so $5,000 to $6,000," said Chris Ludford, a fisherman.
It's raising many concerns about his partnerships with local seafood restaurants.
"Luckily we got this weekend, oysters. But next weekend oysters won't happen unless we go somewhere else," said Ludford.
The Heath Department said because these waters can be contaminated with pollutants such as bacteria and viruses, shellfish taken from the area affected cannot be eaten.
"I'm hopeful that, maybe after 10 or 14 days, the number and the readings will show that there isn't pollution that they thought it might be," said Ludford.
Health leaders are urging the public to minimize any exposure to the water by rinsing or washing items that come in contact with the water, including fishing gear, life vests, ropes and paddles.
The temporary emergency closure is set to be effective from Jan. 14 through Feb. 3. However, the Shellfish Safety Division will be conducting sampling and will reopen earlier if it is safe to do so.
