BREMERTON, WA— The City of Bremerton today reported a discharge of 890,000 gallons of a fully treated mixture of sewage and storm water into Port Washington Narrows from their treatment plant in East Bremerton, located at 2475 Stephenson Avenue. This treatment plant is designed to operate during heavy rains, such as the rain storm this morning. Incoming tides carried the discharge from Port Washington Narrows into Dyes Inlet. Since some viruses can survive disinfection, the Health District has issued a seven-day health advisory for these water bodies.

During the advisory, the public is advised not to harvest shellfish from beaches in Dyes Inlet and avoid contact with water in Port Washington Narrows. Warning signs have been posted at the following public access beaches: Lions Field, Lent Landing, and Evergreen Park.  The advisory is scheduled to be lifted the morning of Friday, Sept. 13.

To reduce risk of illness, the public is strongly encouraged to wash their hands after coming in contact with polluted water, handling contaminated items, and before eating or preparing food.

The Health District also recommends not harvesting shellfish anywhere in Kitsap County during and following heavy rain events due to the increased risk of illness from waterborne pathogens.

For additional information on this advisory, contact Shawn Ultican, Senior Environmental Health Specialist in the Water Pollution Identification and Correction Program, at 360–337–5622.