By RUSTY DENNEN
A 23,000-gallon sewage spill into Aquia Creek and Austin Run temporarily raised fecal bacteria levels.
But because the streams in northern Stafford County are already on Virginia's list of impaired waters, it's unclear how much the May 20 spill affected water quality, officials say.
A contractor working on a substation for a new Dominion Virginia Power transmission line struck the 12-inch main for the county's Aquia Bridge Pump Station along Aquia Drive near Channel Cove.
Dan Genest, a spokesman for the utility, said the location of the line was improperly marked by the county before the digging began.
"We had to replace about 63 feet of line and had to turn the pump station off," Stafford Utilities Director Harry Critzer said yesterday.
"To minimize the overflow, we called in four [pump] trucks with Marshall septic service and our 6,000-gallon tanker."
IMPACT HARD TO JUDGE
Critzer said water samples taken from the two streams after the spill found elevated bacteria levels one day, and within acceptable limits the next.
Therefore, "It's difficult to determine the impact," Critzer said, in light of the fact that the waterways are already impaired.
Bill Perry, environmental health manager for the Rappahannock Area Health District, said any impact on public health is minimal because swimming is not recommended in impaired waters.
Stafford County Spokeswoman Cathy Riddle said the Aquia Property Owners Association today would be getting a fact sheet on the incident, and directing residents to a Virginia Department of Health pamphlet, "Safely Enjoying Virginia's Natural Waters."
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality water monitoring has found thousands of miles of rivers and streams in Virginia are impaired. That means they are unable to support any or all of six categories of use--aquatic life, fishing, shell fishing, swimming, public-water supplies and wildlife.
The Stafford streams made the list in 2006 and 2008 because E. coli bacteria associated with human waste were found in water samples.
Mark Miller, pollution response coordinator with DEQ, said the agency received several calls from Stafford residents about the spill. Miller said recent rains and tidal action in Aquia Creek have diluted any bacterial contamination.
DEQ has a link on its Web site for reporting pollution. Miller's department examines the reports and investigates when necessary.
Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com