Sonoma Sanitation Pipeline Spews 2 Million Gallons Of Sewage Into Slough

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SONOMA COUNTY (CBS SF) - A valve malfunction led to the release Saturday morning of approximately 2 million gallons of untreated wastewater from a Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District pipeline south of the unincorporated community of Schellville in Sonoma County, the district said.

The valve, which failed to fully close, was leaking wastewater for about 24 hours, district officials said Saturday. The sewage went directly into the slough.

The problem valve was finally isolated, and the leakage was stopped at 10:45 a.m., the district said. District maintenance crews were working Saturday to repair the valve.

The State Office of Emergency Services, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board and California Department of Fish and Wildlife were notified. Environmental specialists were also dispatched to the leak site, and did not observe any dead or distressed fish or other species Saturday.

The affected pipeline is part of a complex network of pipelines that collect wastewater from about 17,000 households in the Sonoma Valley. The wastewater is treated at a plant near the city of Sonoma.