Update on 10/22 — The advisory has been lifted.
Raw sewage overflowing from a manhole near the Long Branch Nature Center has prompted county authorities to issue a warning about the water in the Upper Long Branch stream and in Four Mile Run from Glencarlyn Park to the Potomac River.
People and animals should avoid contact with both streams until future notice, the county said Friday night. Among the affected areas is the popular Shirlington dog park.
From a county news release:
ARLINGTON, VA – Arlington County advises residents (and their pets) to avoid water downstream of a sewage release in Upper Long Branch stream. The area to avoid begins near the Long Branch Nature Center and continues through Four Mile Run at Glencarlyn Park to the Potomac River. This precautionary measure follows the discovery of sewage discharging from a sanitary sewer manhole near the Long Branch Nature Center on Friday evening, October 15.
Residents are advised to stay away from the affected waters – and also keep their pets away until further notice, to eliminate the risk of exposure to untreated sewage. Residents should not fish in the streams or have any contact with the waters – including wading or swimming – until further notice from the County. The advisory to avoid all contact is considered an extra precaution until the discharge is stopped and to allow the effect of the discharge to be diminished by natural flushing of the streams. The recreational areas affected include the following parks adjacent to the streams: Glencarlyn, Barcroft, Allie Freed, Shirlington, Jennie Dean and Four Mile Run.