Updated Jan. 30
A large portion of the Lagoon Pond and the outer harbor is closed to all shellfishing after it was determined that a nearby sewage leak could have potentially contaminated those waters.
Oak Bluffs officials discovered that the leak originated from the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital after responding to a call around 4 pm Tuesday from MVH employees who noticed water coming up through cracks in the parking lot pavement.
The pumps connecting the hospital to the town’s wastewater treatment facility were promptly shut off upon arrival, Oak Bluffs wastewater facilities manager Patrick Hickey told The Times.
Farrissey Tele-Comm utility services was then called in to remove surface water with a vacuum truck. A subsequent excavation of the area surrounding the leak revealed the source, which showed a small break in the pressure line.
A repair clamp was applied to the plastic pipe, and the wastewater was able to flow directly to the hospital’s former onsite treatment unit, Hickey said.
Affected areas of the pavement, grass, and stormwater catch basins were treated with chlorine and lime. “It was a pretty smooth operation once the leak was discovered,” he said.
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Division of Marine Fisheries, and the Oak Bluffs shellfish department were subsequently informed of the situation, soon triggering a closure for all shellfishing as a public safety precaution.
Based on Hickey’s description of the leakage, he said DEP officials were able to estimate a discharge of around 7,000 to 9,000 gallons.
Although it is not clear yet exactly the extent of the sewage leak, Hickey said it’s likely that Brush Pond has taken the brunt of the effluent, due to its proximity to the hospital and the pond’s inability to regularly flush out pollutants.
According to surveys from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, the 544-acre Lagoon Pond is already classified as “impaired,” with “seriously deteriorated” water quality.
Hickey was told that the state will be sending a biologist to conduct sampling around the Lagoon Pond area, which sits within the nearly 4,000-acre Lagoon Pond watershed. Testing at local oyster farms by the Department of Marine Fisheries is slated for next week.
Notices by the pond’s entrances state that the area is expected to reopen for shellfishing by mid-February.
There is “no immediate explanation” as to what initially caused the pipe failure, Michael Cosgrave, chief administrative officer for MVH and Windemere Nursing & Rehabilitation Program, told The Times Friday; however, speculation points to the recent wet weather.
Cosgrave added that the pipe and the pump are owned and maintained by the town.
Numerous attempts to reach the Oak Bluffs shellfish constable for comment were unsuccessful.