NEW: Woonsocket Residents Warned To Stay Away from Blackstone River

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Monday, August 01, 2011

GoLocalProv Health Team

Residents of Woonsocket have been advised to refrain from any sort of contact with and around the Blackstone River for the time being. The cause for this is a sewage discharge into the body of water resulting from an excavation-related line break. A current investigation for the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is underway.

This reported 100,000-gallon overflow of sewage beginning at the former site of Seville Dye occurred on the afternoon of Sunday, July 31. A construction worker was digging a trench during demolition and reportedly broke a sewer line by accident.

According to the DEM, the partially-treated wastewater leaked into the river but was quickly stopped by crew workers.

The Department of Health and DEM are warning people to not consume fish from the river or engage in any activities in or along the river such as swimming, boating, or fishing. This warning is in effect until the morning of Tuesday, August 2.

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