Local and state officials are investigating a sewage spill in Norfolk’s Knitting Mill Creek that came from the Mack’s Barge restaurant on Colley Avenue.
The eatery sits along the southern tip of the creek, which feeds into the Lafayette and eventually Elizabeth rivers.
On Aug. 31, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality started getting calls complaining of a strong odor and dead birds, said Julie Laferriere, pollution response manager for the department’s Tidewater regional offices.
The next day, a Norfolk city inspector discovered human waste coming from Mack’s Barge, causing a smell and cloudy water in the creek.
The restaurant was given a notice of violation and immediately hired a plumber to fix a burst pipe. Followup visits from the city and health department confirmed there’s been no more spilling, according to a Norfolk news release.
Officials have not been able to provide details about when the spill began or how much raw sewage has entered the creek. WHRO could not reach Mack’s Barge for comment on Friday.
Laferriere said the restaurant is supposed to share those and other details in a corrective action report due Monday. The department starts with that and could later pursue further action against the restaurant’s operators.
Sewage discharge without a permit is illegal under state water control law, she said.
“The reason for that, scientifically, is there are nutrients in sewage and there is bacteria in sewage,” she said. “And so that would alter the quality of the water.”
Knitting Mill Creek, along with many other local waterways, has historically struggled with pollution, including with E. coli contamination and stormwater runoff during flooding in surrounding Colonial Place.
City, state and federal money has gone toward restoring it, including putting in place so-called green infrastructure to mitigate rising sea levels and prevent pollution from washing in.
Laferriere said at least 10 geese were found dead during the recent response to complaints.
Paige Pearson, spokesperson with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, said they don’t yet know exactly how many.
Four of the bird carcasses were sent to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in Georgia for testing. Pearson said that will include looking for toxins, bird flu and other possibilities.
Officials won’t be sure whether the deaths are linked to the sewage spill until the results come back, she said.
Residents are currently advised to avoid recreational activities in the creek.
