A wastewater pump station in Millsboro discharged raw sewage into an Indian River tributary, which flows into the bay.
The Town of Millsboro Public Works department says it identified an issue at wastewater pump station 4 along the Iron Branch tributary of the Indian River Wednesday morning.
In a statement, the town says it notified the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control “immediately upon observation of the issue,” and bypassed the inoperable section of the pump station to eliminate overflow.
DNREC officials say in their statement the spill was stopped Wednesday afternoon, and Division of Water staff are monitoring repairs at the Millsboro pump station. DNREC notes raw sewage was discharged from the sewer sanitation system, and has potentially caused fecal contamination of shellfish in Indian River Bay. Hence, an emergency closure is now in effect until August 24th.
The closure does not affect the harvest of crabs, conch, and finfish. Oysters grown commercially under aquaculture leases in Rehoboth Bay are unaffected by the Indian River Bay closure.
DNREC also advises recreational water users to limit water contact in the upper Indian River Bay for the next few days, particularly in waters near the location of the spill.
The town says crews are on site to determine the cause of the station’s failure and make repairs as needed.
