Up to 1.5 million gallons of domestic wastewater discharged into Moxlie Creek since mid-September, the City of Olympia announced Wednesday.
Public Works crews discovered Tuesday that a plugged pipe that had been opened for cleaning and maintenance was not re-plugged.
The plug kept the wastewater from getting into the downstream stormwater system.
Crews stopped the leak Tuesday.
“While the leak is unfortunate, the City has stopped the leak and is taking steps to prevent spills like this in the future,” County Health Officer Dr. Diana Yu said in a city release. “I do not believe there is any additional risk to the public. Lower Budd Inlet is already closed to direct recreational uses and shellfish harvesting.”
Moxlie Creek runs under downtown Olympia in a large pipe and flows into Budd Inlet at the head of East Bay.
alexis.krell@thenewstribune.com
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