Update: Raw Sewage Spill Did Not Reach Fairfax Creek.

The Ross Valley Sanitary District said, upon further investigation, a raw sewage spill on April 6 was limited to a parking lot and did not enter Fairfax Creek as previously reported in a Marin IJ article.

Last Friday, the RVSD said it responded to a sewage spill reported in Fairfax, where a resident claimed sewage was flowing into Fairfax Creek.

The District said in a press statement that it located the spill in a parking lot at 2501 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and traced the cause to an eight-inch diameter mainline that had failed causing a backup and overflow to occur through the property owner’s cleanout.

According to the District, a joint investigation with Marin County Environmental Health Services concluded that all sewage was contained within the parking lot and did not enter Fairfax Creek. Because it was determined that sewage had not entered the creek, no water testing required by the County.

The District said that the extensive damage to the sewer main prompted the District to declare an emergency, so repairs could be made immediately. Normal flow has now been restored to the pipe while the remainder of the line is being inspected to determine the next course of action.

The District is attributing recent catastrophic pipe failures to an aging sewer collection system, saying that most of the pipes are well beyond their service lives.

It has identified approximately 30 critical pipe repair projects over the last six months that the District says must be addressed as soon as possible.

More information on the deteriorating condition of the community’s sewer infrastructure can be found by downloading the Full Agenda Packets for District meetings held on December 21, 2011, January 25, 2012, February 22, 2012 and March 21, 2012 at www.rvsd.org.