A broken sewer pipe in south Everett has spilled what a city spokeswoman estimates as "hundreds of thousands of gallons" of sewage Thursday into a creek that eventually flows into Lake Washington.

Spokeswoman Kate Reardan says crews have been able to divert the sewage flow into pump trucks and put that material back into the sewage system at a different point. Repair crews were working to fix the break in the 20-inch diameter pipe.

Reardan stresses that the drinking water supply is safe.

Residents were cautioned to avoid contact with the water in North Creek.

The spokeswoman says sewage got into the crawl space of one home but no other properties were affected.

The state Ecology Department and other agencies have been notified of the spill.