Sewage spill closes two Pierce County parks’ beach access

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department issued closures for Sunnyside Beach Park and Chambers Creek Regional Park beaches Wednesday in light of a sewage spill.

An alert from the state Department of Ecology said the spill was a result of a crushed sewage line that discharged sewage into Flett Creek. Flett Creek flows into Chambers Bay.

Cindy Callahan, environmental health specialist supervisor at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, said the issue has been corrected and water samples are being taken at the beaches. The locations will remain closed until the water is deemed safe again.

Signs are posted at the beaches’ public access points, according to the alert.

Laura Hermanson, BEACH program manager at the state Department of Ecology, said people should not touch the water or sediment on any of the closed beaches. If someone does come in contact with either, they should wash their hands, take a shower and follow good hygiene practices.

“Hopefully people will see the signs and heed the warning,” she said.

The BEACH, or Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication & Health, program swimming map will remain updated with water quality at beaches.

This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 2:50 PM.