About 6,000 gallons of sewage spilled out of a blocked sewer pipe and into Four Mile Run in Arlington, near Columbia Pike and S. Dinwiddie Street, county officials said Tuesday.
The overflow occurred at 11 a.m. and was spotted by workers at the nearby Arlington Mill Community Center construction site. It was stopped by noon, but Four Mile Run absorbed much of the spill, so residents are being warned not to fish, swim, wade or touch the water from Columbia Pike to the Potomac River.
“We normally advise people to avoid water contact because this is an urban stream,” said Myllisa Kennedy from the Arlington Department of Envrionmental Services. “People don’t drink the water, but their pets do, and if they [get wet], they should be washed off.”
It takes about a week, unless there’s a heavy rain, for sewage to flush out of the system, she said.
The recreational areas affected include: Barcroft, Shirlington, Jennie Dean, Allie Freed and Bicentennial Gardens. The County has posted flyers along the affected areas of Four Mile Run.
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