NEW: Avoid contact with Potomac River, Va. Dept. of Health says

Avoid contact with the Potomac River.

That’s the message from the Virginia Dept. of Health, which just issued a recreational water advisory, three weeks after a large sewage pipe ruptured along the Clara Barton Parkway.

Millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Potomac, about four miles upstream from Arlington, before crews were able to contain the overflow. There have been setbacks since, including clogged pumps this week.

With reports of E. coli levels thousands of times higher than the recommended limit for human contact, VDH is sounding the alarm about river contamination along a 72.5 mile stretch that includes Arlington’s entire shoreline.

More from a VDH press release, issued Friday afternoon:

Due to reports of sewage spills in the Potomac River and the anticipated timeline for repairs, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is issuing a recreational water advisory for Virginia residents. For the safety of people and pets, VDH is advising Virginia residents to avoid recreational water activities in the Potomac River, such as swimming, wading, tubing, white-water canoeing or kayaking, where full-body submersion is more likely to occur.

The advisory is being issued out of an abundance of caution due to a sewage spill in the Potomac River that occurred January 19, and subsequent reports of a sewage discharge February 7. The timeline for the repair is estimated to be four to six weeks.  The advisory area extends for 72.5 miles from the American Legion Memorial Bridge (I-495) in Fairfax County to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge (Route 301) in King George County.

VDH has observed no evidence of impacts to drinking water at this time.

For updates on the repair status, visit DC Water. For updates on Virginia impacts and to find links to the Maryland and DC agencies responding to this incident, please visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/potomac-sewage-spill/.

To prevent recreational water illnesses due to exposure to sewage spill events, people should:

• Avoid contact with water in the advisory area and observe advisory signage posted at waterbody access points.
• Avoid any area of the water body where water has a foul odor, dead or dying fish, or discolored water.
• Promptly wash skin with soap and water if you cannot avoid contact with water in the vicinity.
• Rinse or wash items that come into contact with the water, including clothing, fishing gear, life vests, ropes and paddles.
• Seek medical care and notify your practitioner of the waterbody exposure if you experience adverse health effects after contact with the waterbody.
• When harvesting fish or crabs, discard skin, organs, cook the meat to proper temperature, and clean cutting boards and cutting implements with warm soapy water.

For more information on recreational water safety, visit www.SwimHealthyVA.com.