Remediation efforts underway after sewage discharge in Henrico's Gillies Creek

The Henrico County Department of Public Utilities is remediating conditions following two sewer main breaks in Gillies Creek that occurred Friday and Monday. Crews were dispatched immediately on Friday evening and have completed repairs. However, as a result of the break, wastewater has flowed into a short section of Gillies near Kemp Avenue (near the Montrose Heights community, just south of Oakwood Cemetery).

Impacts from the wastewater have been minimal, as crews were able to hold a large portion of the wastewater in the nearby Gillies Creek Pump Station and send it slowly to Henrico’s Water Reclamation Facility in Eastern Henrico for treatment. The pump station and main are now operating normally, county officials said in a statement.

DPU officials completed repairs to the sewer main Tuesday afternoon. Crews remain on site to remove impacted soil near the break and investigate impacts from the discharge. DPU officials are working closely with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Department of Health during the efforts, according to county officials.

Gillies is not typically used for recreation, since the creek is narrow and shallow, but it flows into the James River about one and a half miles downstream from the break.

Though the risk of contamination of the James is small, Henrico officials are discouraging the public from participating in recreational activities in the creek or near its entry to the river. As additional precautions, the public is advised:

• to avoid eating fish that appear to be sick, such as swimming weakly or floating

• to wash your hands after handling fish

• to follow normal sanitary rules when cleaning, skinning and fileting fish, including washing hands before starting and after finishing. Wash cutting boards and knives with warm, soapy water, and clean counters that may have contacted raw fish

• to always cook fish to a safe temperature (145 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

DPU officials monitor all sanitary sewer overflow events on a public map on the department's website. Residents are encouraged to report any signs of contamination by calling 804-501-4275 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or 804-501-5025 (after hours).