WISE COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) – The Virginia Department of Health is recommending people in Dickenson and Wise Counties be cautious near the Pound River due to an “ongoing sewage release.”
According to a release from VDH, residents of the counties should use caution when engaging in recreational activities like swimming, tubing or kayaking in the river.
The release says the recreational advisories are in effect along the river “from the Town of Pound treatment plant and its collection system to the Skeetrock Bridge on Skeetrock Road (State Route 619) on the Pound River Branch of Flannagan Reservoir.”
According to VDH, the Town of Pound reported on March 29 that recent storms caused a “discharge of untreated raw sewage into the Pound River.”
The town, which owns the treatment plant, is working to locate and repair any damages that is causing the ongoing release. Officials suspect the collection system at the plant is damaged, according to the release.
“Until repairs are completed, the discharge of raw sewage is expected to continue,” the release states.
VDH recommends people and pets avoid swimming, canoeing, wading and other activities in the river and warn that swallowing or coming into contact with contaminated water could cause serious health complications.
For more information, call 276-889-7621 or 276-328-8000.
