Wetland pumping concludes at Fort Ward spill site

Washington Department of Ecology specialists found patches of sewage up to a half-inch thick in a wetland next to the Fort Ward treatment plant where a spill was discovered late last month.

Ecology said a cleanup company completed two days of pumping from the wetland Wednesday, and crews removed 12,000 gallons of a mixture of water and a much smaller amount of sewage solids from the wetland adjacent to the treatment plant.  Workers discharged the liquid to the facility.

Kitsap Sewer District 7, which operates the Fort Ward treatment plant, hired the contractor as part of a cleanup effort conducted in coordination with Ecology and the Kitsap Public Health District.

State officials said the agencies are developing a plan for further clean-up work and monitoring activities.

The cause of the spill remains under investigation, officials said.

Washington Department of Ecology specialists found patches of sewage up to a half-inch thick in a wetland next to the Fort Ward treatment plant where a spill was discovered late last month.

Ecology said a cleanup company completed two days of pumping from the wetland Wednesday, and crews removed 12,000 gallons of a mixture of water and a much smaller amount of sewage solids from the wetland adjacent to the treatment plant.  Workers discharged the liquid to the facility.

Kitsap Sewer District 7, which operates the Fort Ward treatment plant, hired the contractor as part of a cleanup effort conducted in coordination with Ecology and the Kitsap Public Health District.

State officials said the agencies are developing a plan for further clean-up work and monitoring activities.

The cause of the spill remains under investigation, officials said.

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