A city park in Dover is still closed weeks after a broken sewer main spilled wastewater there.
Kent County officials say the leak started shortly after the completion of a project adding slip lining to just under three miles of sewer pipe running along Route 13 in Dover.
When the county returned flow to the pipe on Dec. 19 a wastewater leak was discovered at Silver Lake Park around 1 p.m.
The leak lasted several hours. Officials say flow did not make its way into the lake, but did reach a tributary of the St. Jones River.
Kent County Levy Court Director of Public Works Diana Golt says affected areas were treated with lime and the county has been tracking bacteria levels in the soil and area waterways.
“They are lowering but they aren’t necessarily satisfactory. Some areas are good and some areas are still not,” said Golt. “All the water sampling has come back and things are back at normal levels in the tributary.”
A spokesperson for the City of Dover said the park remains closed as a public safety precaution and affected areas are roped off with caution tape.
Golt says the pipe is being bypassed while the County determines how to fix the leak.
“Right now we’re beginning the investigation process to determine the extent of the pipe problems, so we know if there are any problems upstream or downstream or where the break occurred, and so that we can plan the right repair methods,” she said.
Golt says since the pipe was bypassed, County wastewater is being treated at he County’s Milford facility and discharged as usual.
