The state Health Department posted signs Friday morning warning swimmers, fishermen and canoe paddlers to stay out of Keehi Lagoon near the Nim­itz Highway viaduct because of a wastewater discharge.

A call came at about noon Wednesday from a state security guard who noticed toilet tissue and the odor of sewage in the vicinity of the viaduct near Kakoi Street, said Markus Owens, spokes­man for the city Department of Environmental Services. At 8:52 a.m. Friday the crew confirmed a crack in the 42-inch gravity main, Owens said.

A conservative estimate of 3,000 gallons of untreated wastewater made its way into Keehi Lagoon, he said. The spill is intermittent; crews are repairing the pipe.