Sonoma County officials warn residents after wastewater leaks into Russian River during flooding
GUERNEVILLE, Calif. (KGO) -- Sonoma County officials are warning residents near Russian River about a major spill involving untreated wastewater during overnight flooding near Guerneville Tuesday morning.
According to Sonoma Water, there was so much rain overnight that the Russian River Treatment plant south of Guerneville reached capacity early Tuesday morning.
"A portion of the discharge is traveling roughly one-quarter of a mile through a forested area before reaching the mainstem of the Russian River," the agency wrote in a press release.
Water officials say affected community members were notified this morning and that they are working to assess the potential impacts.
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"Community members are advised to stay away from the Russian River, which remains under storm conditions," agency officials advised.
The lower Russian River in Guerneville reached 28.61 feet at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning.
One homeowner told ABC7 News that the flooding was much worse than anything he's experienced in the past.
"The water came up fast, though, really, really fast," said Steven Cline.
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The flooding was so fast- that Cline was unable to rescue several chickens and a peacock from an outdoor coop, and all three birds perished.
"This covered our yard faster than we could deal with," described Cline.
Sonoma County fire officials say the ground was so saturated from previous rain, that the water had nowhere to go, but up and over the banks of the Russian River.
The Guerneville School District cancelled classes on Tuesday so that residents could continue dealing with the aftermath of this latest round of flooding.
