NEWPORT — A sewage pipe running under Yaquina Bay that ruptured two months ago as been fixed and is no longer dumping treated wastewater into the bay, the city of Newport announced Wednesday.
The pipe runs between the East Science Drive area near the Hatfield Marine Science Center across Yaquina Bay to Southeast Bay Boulevard. While the water had been treated with chlorine, city officials said in December that it still might be hazardous for human health.
The city said 30 feet of pipeline was replaced during the repair. Due to the pipeline’s size, custom parts and pipes were required to be ordered and manufactured before the repair could begin.
“We were able to successfully repair the pipeline this past weekend, and we’ve been monitoring its stability and functionality throughout this week,” Newport Public Works director Robert Moser said in a news release.
Newport said it worked with multiple state agencies to ensure there were no impacts to wildlife or the ecosystem because of the leak into Yaquina Bay.
The city said a weld on the pipeline done in 2022 failed Dec. 28, causing a separation in the pipe, resulting in the diversion of treated wastewater from Newport’s wastewater treatment plant into Yaquina Bay at the bayfront and South Beach.