Partially Treated Sewage Spills Into Russian River in California

The Russian River County Sanitation District Treatment Plant experienced a spill of secondary treated wastewater.

The Russian River, swollen with floodwater following a chain of winter storms, flows past the town of Guerneville, Calif., on Jan. 15, 2023. Fred Greaves/Reuters

GUERNEVILLE, Calif.—The Russian River County Sanitation District Treatment Plant experienced a spill of secondary treated wastewater, according to a press release by Sonoma Water.

The spill occurred in California’s Sonoma County on March 1 and continued into the morning of March 2. The spill is believed to have been caused by the weekend storm in progress at the time.