HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio — A sewage discharge from a damaged treatment plant in Connersville, Indiana is being released into the Whitewater River, making it and parts of the Great Miami River unsafe, Hamilton County Public Health announced.
The health department recommends people temporarily avoid contact with the Whitewater River and the Great Miami River south of the confluence, "out of an abundance of caution."
HCPH announced the sewage issue Thursday, but said it learned about it from an Aug. 19 alert from the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO).
WATCH: Health officials share alert about potentially contaminated river waters in Hamilton County
Over the phone Friday, Connersville Mayor Chad Frank said the wastewater treatment plant was severely damaged by historic flooding in the city last week.
"It was a disaster down there," he said. "We finally started getting some equipment on site. I wish I could give you a timeline. It depends on how much more damage we find."
He said engineers and contractors are working "around the clock" to get the facility back online, but they're still working to pump water out of the plant's sub-basement.
The alert says "an unknown amount" of untreated, raw sewage is still actively being released into the Whitewater River from the treatment plant in Indiana. That treatment plant is located around 50 miles northwest of Hamilton County.
The Whitewater and Great Miami rivers are popular for recreation, including swimming, canoeing and kayaking. Health department officials said these activities are not advised while the waterways could be contaminated.
"There's a potential for an increase in coliforms, E. coli, other type of bacteria," Dr. Steve Feagins, medical director for Hamilton County Public Health, said. "The threat is both ingestion, meaning (getting) GI illness, or getting on the skin. And so that's why we say to stay away from the water. Certainly don't ingest it."
The Whitewater River flows through western Hamilton County and feeds into the Great Miami River; both eventually flow into the Ohio River. The health department did not say whether it had any concern about the sewage reaching the Ohio River.
The health department is advising people not to swim, boat or play in the water and to avoid bare skin coming into contact with the rivers. Anyone who needs to be near potentially contaminated waterways should wash their hands, clothing and footwear thoroughly, the health department said.
