Recently, a vessel damaged a pipe in the Industrial Canal, sending roughly 40 to 50 million gallons of sewage flowed into waters. Plenty of people fish those waters and now many are questioning what impact will be felt on the local wildlife and the ecology as a whole. Matt Rosa is Senior Policy Director at Gulf Health and says it will take some time to know the full picture.
“It’s not pleasant to try to think about how much 50 million gallons of sewage really is, but that’s a lot,” Rosa emphasizes. He notes that one of the biggest health dangers for those recreating in those waters is the risk of bacterial contamination. Rosa advises against swimming or fishing in the waterways fed by the Industrial Canal, especially the Seabrook area.The flow of sewage was plugged around noon on Monday, but experts are still waiting to see the full extent of the damage done. “Being next to the water, you should be fine. But, I would not be recreating in the water at the moment,” adds Rosa. Rosa said the weather and tides will play a part in how protracted the issues from this leak end up being. For the time being, he urges those in the area to use heightened caution until officials are able to clearly state otherwise.
