EVERETT — Beaches at Howarth Park and Pigeon Creek Park remain closed to wading and swimming.
Water quality samples were taken Sunday and results should be available Monday, city spokeswoman Marla Carter said.
The heavy rains Thursday caused an overflow from the city sewer system into Port Gardner.
The city also notified the state health and ecology departments, the Snohomish Health District and Port of Everett about the spill.
Everett’s sewer system collects rainwater runoff, domestic sewage and industrial wastewater in the same pipe. Under normal operation, the combined sewer system conveys all of the wastewater to the Everett water pollution control facility, where it is treated and then discharged to either the Snohomish River or Port Gardner. During periods of heavy rainfall, however, the wastewater volume in a combined sewer system can exceed the capacity of the sewer system. For this reason, the combined sewer system is designed to overflow occasionally and discharge directly to the Snohomish River or Port Gardner. Combined sewer overflows contain bacteria and pathogens that could make people sick.
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