The Northumberland County administrator has updated Cockrell Creek sewer pipe rupture information on the county's website: SEWER PIPE UPDATE- COCKRELL CREEK. The update was posted Monday, January 22 at 3:30 pm.
Northumberland County Sanitary District noticed decreased flow to the Reedville Sewer Plant again on January 20, 2024. While working to identify the area of concern, Crofton Industries was put on standby and was ultimately dispatched to investigate the situation. Upon further inspection, it was determined that there was a second hole near the first hole that was repaired on January 18, 2024. The second hole was patched on January 20, 2024. It is planned for Crofton Industries to be back on site this week to replace this section of pipe. Regulatory agencies continue to be updated on this matter.
In addition to the description of the current situation, the county shared Notice Of Establishment And Description Of Shellfish Area Emergency Condemnation - Number 012-002a, Cockrell Creek - Effective 12 January 2024 (PDF), VDH’s notice of an emergency closure.
According to the VDH Shellfish Safety Division, the January 12 emergency condemnation has no end date because it is common for several leaks to occur after the first one. In addition, the fix in place with leak one and the expectation with the leak two fix is that they are temporary. The fixes are not easy and may take some time. When there’s a permanent fix, VDH and DEQ, with the local health department, will set an expiration date for the emergency condemnation.
And for anyone interested, here’s the January 16 Virginia Department of Health press release announcing the spill and closing the taking of shellfish on Cockrell Creek. The release is below.
Updated January 23, 2024, 4:58 am