Carson City health officials are warning residents to stay out of any water in the area of Butti Way and Fifth Street in east Carson City after a sewage line broke Friday near the Nevada State Prison.
Carson City Health Department staff checking for mosquitoes discovered the sewage, coming from a broken sewer pipe and spilling into a small ditch alongside the Nevada State Prison on Fifth Street, about 10:30 a.m. Friday.
City and prison workers quickly repaired the prison's broken sewage pipe. City crews sandbagged the small ditch so sewage wouldn't make it into a larger ditch that ultimately leads to the Carson River. They also vacuumed whatever was already in the ditch.
The spill was small and contained shortly after it was found, according to the health department, but it would be best to stay out of any water in the area until tests verify where the sewage went and where it didn't go.
Raw sewage has been associated with gastroenteritis and other water-borne illnesses.
