300K Gallons Of Sewage Leak, Annapolis Waterway Closes To Swimmers

ANNAPOLIS, MD - About 300,000 gallons of sewage leaked this weekend in Annapolis, officials said. The leak started inland, but the north head of Spa Creek is closed to swimmers. The leak has since been fixed.

The City of Annapolis and the Anne Arundel County Department of Health announced the news on Tuesday.

The sewer line broke Friday near Heritage Court and Merryman Road, the joint press release said. 

The Annapolis Department of Public Works determined that a broken pipe caused the overflow. The Maryland Department of Environment and the Anne Arundel County Department of Health were notified.

The blockage was cleared by 6 p.m. Friday. Workers established a pump bypass around the broken pipe later that evening.

Crews spread lime into the ravine near the spill to mitigate the overflow. 

The sanitary sewer line reclogged Saturday morning, but utilities reopened it that day by noon. 

The pipe was repaired to working order on Monday.

Monday afternoon, Annapolis Public Works reviewed daily sewage volume totals from the downstream pumping station. The team determined that more sewage leaked than initially thought. That's when officials determined the leak was actually about 300,000 gallons.

The Anne Arundel County Department of Health was renotified Tuesday morning of the updated leak total. 

Health officials then ordered an emergency closing and warning against direct water contact in Spa Creek near Boxwood Road on the south and Smith Avenue on the north side of the waterway. This part of Spa Creek is not navigable by boat.

The closure will be in effect until this Saturday.

Closure signs are in place. Anybody who touches the water should wash well with soap and warm water immediately. Clothing should also be washed.

For more information on the waterway closure, call the Department of Health's Recreational Water Quality Monitoring Program at (410) 222-7241.

Residents can subscribe to Water Quality Email Alerts at aahealth.org/health-alert. Alerts are also posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, at twitter.com/aahealth_water.

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