SILVERDALE – A failure of a mechanical rubber plug installed in the sewer force main to stop the sewer flow while creating a bypass line around the construction site failed Aug 4., causing a second spill of sewage into Dyes Inlet in the past week. It is estimated that 16,000 gallons of sewage was spilled into the inlet.

The incident occurred at approximately 10:15 a.m. and the spill was initially contained with on-site equipment. There was about 45 minutes where sewage flow exceed the capacity of the on-site equipment resulting in the 16,000 gallon spill.

A July 30 sewage spill is estimated to have released an additional 40,000 gallons.

“Any impact to the environment and the water ways of the County is of great concern to us,” said Andrew Nelson, director of Public Works, in a press statement.

District 3 Commissioner Edward Wolfe, whose district includes the Silverdale area, said “My wife and I moved to Kitsap because of the pristine environment and the people. At the top of my priority list as a county commissioner is to maintain this  pristine environment.”

“We are getting control of the situation to do everything to make sure this doesn’t happen again. We swim and eat the clams in Dyes Inlet, and we will do it again,” Wolfe said.

The County’s contractor, Granite Construction, is an experienced nationwide contractor with an extensive resume of completing large infrastructure projects in environmentally sensitive areas. Quick and appropriate actions by the contractor and County crews on site limited the amount of sewage that entered the inlet. Resources were put forth from the contractors as well as the County. The contractor had the necessary equipment on site which contributed to their ability to respond quickly to the incident and mitigate the potential harm to the environment. The spill today is unrelated to the spill July 30. That spill was caused when the contractor inadvertently hit the sewer main creating a two-inch hole.

The existing force main is buried in the fill across the estuary and has to be replaced with a new force main that can be hung on the bridge. The sewer bypass line is now constructed and has been tested and exceeds required standards. This sewer bypass line is separated from the construction area to remove potential for further damage by construction activities.

The County is conducting a full investigation of both events and will determine what corrective action is appropriate. All additional costs created because of the spill are the responsibility of the contractor.

For information about the no contact advisory in place in Dyes Inlet please go to the Kitsap Public Health District news page at http://www.kitsappublichealth.org/news/.