Off limits for an entirely different, but still gross, reason. (Photo by Erin)

D.C. Water is advising people to keep clear of Soapstone Creek in upper Northwest after a sewage spill resulted in elevated levels of E. coli.

Crews found a leaking pipe on Audubon Terrace NW and a dye test confirmed that sewage was entering the creek. Crews are working to make repairs, but D.C. Water didn’t indicate when the area would be safe for people and pets again. They hope to finish installing a bypass today to stop the leak until the pipe can be fixed, John Lisle, D.C. Water’s chief of external affairs, tells DCist in an email.

The creek, which is next to Rock Creek Park’s Soapstone Valley Trail, runs between Albemarle Street and Broad Branch Road NW in Van Ness.