Newport officials say they’re working as quickly as they can to fix a leak that’s diverted wastewater into Yaquina Bay.
Nearly 1,500 gallons of effluent wastewater a minute has been pouring into the bay since Dec. 28.
City officials say the water has been treated with chlorine, but still might be hazardous for human health. In the meantime, they’re asking the public to avoid fishing in the area.
The city manager has been working with a contractor to fix the pipe, and the City Council is scheduled to formally declare an emergency on Monday.
Declaring an emergency will allow city staff to speed up the process of buying, or contracting, for what they need to fix the pipe quickly. The emergency will be in effect until Feb. 3.
According to city documents, the leak was caused by a weld done in 2022 that failed, causing pieces of the pipe to separate.
