City warns of sanitary sewer leak in Nechako River

Stay away from a stretch of the Nechako River after a sanitary sewer leak, the City of Prince George warned Friday.

"Boaters and recreational users of the river should steer clear of the area, which is roughly 250 square metres in size and clearly marked by buoys in the water, until further notice," the city advises.

The affected area, under the John Hart Bridge, poses no health risk at this time, the city advises.

City staff are working with the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and Environment Canada to monitor the situation with weekly inspections and reports to the province every 30 days.

Staff will also monitor the river water downstream from the spill and will notify the public if the situation changes. In the meantime, the city's utility crew is working on a secondary line that will allow crews to fix the leak, expected by the end of November.

The city notes the line was installed in 1977.