Riverfront Park Closes after Sewage Spills into Patuxent

From City of Laurel:

Laurel officials have closed Riverfront Park until further notice after Howard County Public Works reported a 1.5-2 million gallon sewage spill into the Patuxent River on Friday, July 29.

WSSC is helping to clean it up by pumping water to clear the waste which will flow through Laurel and eventually out into the Chesapeake Bay.

City of Laurel Department of Parks and Recreations and Department of Public Works Crews are posting signs along the River warning visitors of the hazards.

City Administrator Marty Flemion says it is critical that people stay out of the water and stay off the paths until further notice.

“Until this is resolved, residents are urged not to allow their children and pets anywhere near the water,”Flemion says. “People should absolutely avoid fishing in Riverfront Park until we sound the all clear.”

Howard County officials say the leak has been stopped. They have not released other details about how the spill happened.

You can continue to monitor the situation on the City of Laurel Facebook page and @laurelcityoem on Twitter. We will also have updates on the media line at (240) 294-1307 and the Laurel TV Bulletin Board on Comcast channel 996, Comcast channel 71 and Verizon channel 12.

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