Initial water quality testing conducted after the sewer leak in Eagle Harbor show very low levels of contamination.
“The bacteria levels are extremely low, and almost consistent with normal levels,” Kitsap County Health District water quality specialist John Kiess said on Wednesday.
Three water samples taken on Monday from Waterfront Park on Eagle Harbor show bacteria levels that are at or slightly below the typical level for marine waters.
Kiess said it is difficult to determine why the harbor may have recovered so quickly after an estimated 140,000 gallons of untreated sewage escaped from a corroded pipe between Saturday and Tuesday.
Tides and currents may have played a role, but the harbor has a low level of water recirculation due to it’s slender shape.
“It’s a closed harbor – long and skinny,” Kiess said. “It doesn’t exchange water real well with the larger body.”
Sunny skies may have played a larger role by “disinfecting” the water with ultraviolet light, health district officials said.
“Bacteria doesn’t survive well,” Kiess said. “Natural conditions tend to destroy it. That’s the beauty of it.”
