photo credit: Sonoma Water
Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District map

Sonoma County supervisors are preparing to authorize emergency repairs after a pipe burst in the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District’s reclamation system.

An emergency resolution has been added to Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting to fund the work.

County officials said about 700,000 gallons of treated recycled water spilled into Schell Slough after the pipe burst last week. The break was discovered on New Year’s Eve.

Crews said the rupture opened a sinkhole in a tidal marsh just feet from a nearby levee.

Sonoma Water Assistant General Manager David Royall said the sinkhole is slowly growing, but recent weather has made it difficult to monitor or begin repairs.

“Once we started getting the heavier rain, the area became inundated and it’s all covered in water now,” Royall said.

Royall said the lack of visibility could be dangerous for grazing livestock.

“Due to the murkiness of the water, we can’t see the hole anymore right now," Royall said. "All you can see is the limits of the caution tape sticking up out of the water.”

The burst pipe has been shut off, and Sonoma Water said repairs need to begin immediately. The agency is asking the board for expedited approval, with an estimated cost of $400,000.