SAVANNAH - Health officials in Chatham County have lifted a ban on fishing and swimming in a polluted river. <br>
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Thousands of gallons of raw sewage poured into a marsh and part of the Wilmington River two weeks ago. <br>
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Worried about fecal contamination, the health department on June 19 asked residents not to swim or take oysters, clams and fish from the river. <br>
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Health department spokeswoman Reinee Lynch said tests on Friday showed the water has returned to safe bacterial levels. <br>
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The spill was caused by a broken pipe located half a mile east of the Islands Expressway drawbridge. The leak sent nearly 292,000 gallons of raw sewage into the marsh and river. <br>
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Its cause remained under investigation Friday, said Jim Laplander, Savannah's director of sewer conveyance, who discovered the spill. <br>
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The pipeline, installed in the late 1980s, is a major one, serving Wilmington and Whitemarsh islands, he said.
