POULSBO — Sewage overflowed out of a sewer manhole and flowed down a bank and into Liberty Bay during the morning of March 12.

A resident of the 18000 block of Fjord Drive noticed the spill and contacted the City of Poulsbo, which in turn notified Kitsap Public Health District.

According to the Kitsap Public Health District on March 13: “City crews responded immediately and determined that the leak had stopped. The cause of the spill was most likely a plug downslope of the manhole that cleared itself. This plug caused the sewer pipe to back up to the manhole, where effluent was able to leak out of its brick control structure.

“To prevent a future leak from the manhole structure, city crews will permanently seal the structure. A camera inspection of the line revealed no problems. The exact volume of the leak is unknown, but visual observations suggest it was approximately 100 gallons.”

Kitsap Public Health advised the public March 13 to avoid contact with the beach and salt water along Fjord Drive and within the Poulsbo Marina. Shellfish harvesting is already prohibited in the area. The advisory was expected to be in place until March 15.

Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses.

“It was a relatively small spill,” said Stuart Whitford, the health district’s water pollution identification and correction program manager. “Salt water is harmful to bacteria and viruses and we’ve had sunlight and that kills viruses and bacteria near the surface of the water.”