3 Million Gallons of Raw Sewage Spilled Into Pudget Sound Due to Power Outage, Beaches Close

About 3 million gallons of raw sewage was dumped in the Pudget Sound on Friday morning, July 19.

Published: 7/20/2019, 12:33:18 PM EDT

3 Million Gallons of Raw Sewage Spilled Into Pudget Sound Due to Power Outage, Beaches Close — Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington on June 20, 2015. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

About 3 million gallons of raw sewage was dumped in the Pudget Sound, Washington state, on Friday morning, July 19.

It was caused by a power disruption that shut down pumping in a wastewater treatment plant. The workers reacted fast to prevent flooding in the plant and sent 3 million gallons of stormwater combined with wastewater into Pudget Sound through an emergency pipe for 27 minutes, after which operations returned to normal, reported King County.

The event led to the closing down of several beaches due to the bacteria level, and residents were advised to stay away from the water until further notice. Later in the afternoon, an update was issued that narrowed down the list of closed beaches to only two.

Jefferson County Department of Health issued a no-contact advisory "due to high levels of fecal bacteria in the water."

King County employees were collecting samples and posting signs in the affected areas on Friday morning.

The specifics of the malfunction are not fully evident, but it is reportedly the result of a Seattle City Light power outage that impacted more than 10,000 people.

More than half of the disruptions at the West Point Treatment plant over the last 17 years were caused by operational failures of electrical facilities.

New York City Power Restored Hours After Outage

NEW YORK—A power outage struck the heart of Manhattan on July 13, the anniversary of a 1977 blackout—stranding passengers on subways, gridlocking drivers that had to navigate the streets without traffic lights, and bringing the curtain down on Broadway shows.

The outage, which stretched 30 blocks from Times Square to the Upper West Side, left around 73,000 customers without power for about four hours.

Time Square during a widespread power outage in New York, on July 13, 2019. (Michael Owens/AP Photo) — Time Square during a widespread power outage in New York, on July 13, 2019. Michael Owens/AP Photo

Con Edison CEO John McAvoy said a problem at a substation caused the 6:47 p.m. power failure. Electricity was restored to customers and businesses affected by the outage by around midnight, according to a statement from the utility.

McAvoy said the exact cause of the blackout would not be known until an investigation is completed.

The outage stymied subway service throughout the city, affecting nearly every line. New York City's Emergency Management Department said the A, C, D, E, F, M, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 trains had resumed running in both directions by around 2 a.m. Sunday.