About 500 gallons of wastewater was released on the shoulder of the roadway in a private housing development in Pacific Beach on Thursday afternoon.

The discharge resulted in a stretch of nearby beach being closed to razor clam digging. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife said last week that the closure would last through February.

The release occurred in the Haskins Park development located at the end of Sapphire Drive in Pacific Beach, according to the Grays Harbor County Utilities Department that serves five homes in Haskins Park.

“Grays Harbor County Utility staff immediately responded to the incident and notified the Department of Ecology, Washington State Department of Health – Shellfish Division, and the Grays Harbor County Environmental Health Division of the discharge. As a precautionary measure, the DOH Shellfish Department closed a 1,500 foot area of beach near Haskins Park to shellfish harvest,” said Mark Cox, Director of Utilities and Community Development.

County staff immediately shut down wastewater pumps that service Haskins Park, made repairs to a broken clean-out pipe and restored service to residents by 5 p.m. Thursday, Cox said.

“The County has concluded that the cause of the discharge was due to heavy vehicles driving on the street rated service box on the shoulder of the roadway,” he said.