<p>Sewer Main Break near Vacation Beach in Guerneville; Customers Asked to Reduce Water Usage   </p><p> </p>

A break in a sewer main was discovered at  3 p.m. today at the end of Orchard Avenue in Guerneville and crews from the Russian River County Sanitation District (RRCSD) are on the scene containing the leak and undertaking repair.  All RRCSD customers are being asked to reduce their water usage as much as possible during this emergency. Reducing water use will reduce flows into the collection system and reduce wastewater discharges. 

So far, the wastewater discharges have not reached the Russian River. The break is located at the western end of Orchard Avenue, which dead ends just west of the Vacation Beach lift station. The location is adjacent to the river and less than a mile from the RRCSD treatment plant on Neeley Road. A construction contractor was called to the site to undertake emergency repairs to replace the failed pipeline. 

Crews will remain on site overnight to contain and remove spilled wastewater and to stop further discharges.  Vacuum trucks and tanker trucks were dispatched to remove as much of the wastewater as possible. An assessment of the source of the leak is under way and crews will be excavating the site to uncover the force main pipeline, which is buried approximately 6 feet underground. 

The sewer force main pipeline is part of Russian River County Sanitation District (RRCSD) collection and treatment system.  The purpose of the sewer force main is to carry wastewater from the lift station at Vacation Beach to the RRCSD treatment plant located on Neeley Road. 

A report was filed with the state Office of Emergency Services and the North Coast Water Quality Resources Control Board was notified. 

The RRCSD treats an average of 710,000 gallons of wastewater per day generated by 3,215 Equivalent Single-Family Dwellings in Guerneville and surrounding communities.  RRCSD is operated by Sonoma Water.