NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk city and Virginia leaders responded to a sewage spill at Knitting Mill Creek that was discovered at the start of September.
On Sept. 1, Norfolk’s Department of Public Works notified the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) after a city inspector noticed a smell and cloudy water in the creek.
DEQ documented and told the owners of Mack’s Barge of a sewage discharge into the creek, telling them to fix the problem.
City inspectors and the Norfolk Department of Public Health (NDPH) also gave violation notices after the discharge was discovered.
That same day, a plumber hired by Mack's Barge was already working to fix the problem, according to Norfolk health officials.
Officials conducted follow-up visits on Sept. 2 and 6 with DEQ confirming that no more sewage was being discharged.
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) worked with a rehabilitator to collect wildlife carcasses in the area to be tested at the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in Athens, Georgia. Those results are pending.
Anyone with sewage concerns is asked to call the city at (757) 823-1000, Norfolk environmental health officials at (757) 683-2712, or DEQ at 804-674-2400.
