Pipe Bursts, Spilling Sewage Into Creek
About 200 gallons of untreated sewage spilled into the Arroyo Conejo, causing city officials to post warning signs Tuesday up to one mile downstream.
The spill into the creek was caused when a temporary waste water line ruptured due to extreme temperature changes Monday morning, said Shamir Shahamiri, senior civil engineer for the city of Thousand Oaks.
The Arroyo Conejo eventually feeds into Mugu Lagoon.
The temporary pipe, located about a mile north of Hillcrest Drive and west of Lynn Road, is part of a city project to build a new $6.5-million waste water collection line to the Hill Canyon Treatment Plant, Shahamiri said.
All local environmental agencies, including the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, which could eventually take enforcement action, were notified of the spill.
Elizabeth Huff of Ventura County’s Environmental Health Department said the public should avoid any contact with the contaminated water in the Arroyo Conejo until at least Thursday, by which time the pollutants should be flushed out naturally.
A contractor repaired the temporary line immediately after the spill was discovered, Shahamiri said.
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