March 20, 2025
For questions about the health advisory, contact:
Brian Stanley, Environmental Health Manager, Sr., Cumberland Plateau Health District
276-415-3370, brian.stanley@vdh.virginia.gov
For questions about the sewer main repairs, contact:
Buchanan County Public Service Authority
276-935-5828
Cumberland Plateau Health District Issues Recreational Water Advisory
LEBANON, Va. – The Cumberland Plateau Health District recommends that people and pets avoid contact with a portion of the Levisa River and Slate Creek located in Buchanan County due to an ongoing sewage overflow from sewer mains that were damaged by recent flooding. Activities to repair the sewer mains are ongoing, weather permitting.
This health advisory extends along the Levisa River from 0.5-miles east of Anchorage Shopping Center along U.S. HWY 460 to the Kentucky state line and portions of Slate Creek from the Buchanan County Department of Social Services on Route 83 downstream to the Levisa River in Buchanan County. The length of the affected waterways in Virginia is approximately 24 miles. For concerns in Kentucky, please contact the Pike County Health Department at 606-437-5500.
Swallowing contaminated water can cause gastrointestinal illnesses, with vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain or fever. Contact with contaminated water also can cause infections of the ears, nose, throat and skin. For your safety, humans and pets should avoid contact with the affected portions of the Levisa River and Slate Creek until the sewer mains have been repaired and the advisory is lifted.
To prevent recreational water illnesses due to exposure to sewage release events, people should:
- Avoid contact with the waterbodies noted above and observe advisory signage posted at waterbody access points.
- Avoid any area of the waterbody where there is water with a foul odor, dead or dying fish, or discolored water.
- Promptly wash skin with soap and water if you cannot avoid contact with water in the vicinity.
- Seek medical care and notify your practitioner of the waterbody exposure if you experience adverse health effects after contact with the waterbody.
For more information on recreational water safety, call 276-935-4591 or see “Safely Enjoy Virginia’s Natural Waters” at www.SwimHealthyVA.com.