‘It’s just disgusting’: Sewage leak in El Dorado Hills may have contaminated Folsom Lake
By Lee Anne Denyer
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EL DORADO HILLS, California (KCRA) — A sewage leak in El Dorado Hills may have reached Folsom Lake, officials said Tuesday. Now, the El Dorado Irrigation District is testing the water and warning community members to stay out of Browns Reservoir for the time being.
“We take any kind of sewage leak very seriously,” said Jesse Saich, a spokesperson for the El Dorado Irrigation District. “Those pumper trucks were there not only to help keep sewer service going, but also to take up as much leaked sewage as possible that would have been getting into the creek.”
El Dorado Hills resident David Michael said he was working in his garage Sunday night when he heard water rush into his neighborhood. He quickly realized it was sewage.
“It was gushing water. Kind of like a waterfall. I thought it was a sprinkler broken,” he said. “It was just a massive amount, and it was brown with stuff floating down it.”
Even with the water gone Tuesday, there is still residue from the sewage throughout his neighborhood.
“It’s just disgusting,” he said.
Michael said he is concerned about not only the sewage that reached the waterways but also with what he described as a lack of communication with residents and visitors to Folsom Lake from the Irrigation District about the incident.
“We never received notice. They still haven’t told us, like email or text,” he said.
Crews with the Irrigation District could be seen Tuesday continuing to pump water out of the area. Signs warning visitors about the spill were also posted Tuesday afternoon near Browns Reservoir.
“We will continually monitor and test the water, not only in the creek area, but as well in the Browns Ravine area of Folsom Lake. We are we’re aiming to continually test until we see normal results,” Saich said.
Saich said the district expects test results to be available until late Wednesday or early Thursday. Another round of results are expected to come in early next week, he said.
Meanwhile, California State Parks officials are advising visitors to stay out of the water in the Browns Ravine Marina Cove for about a week. The park was open on Tuesday.
A State Parks spokesperson encouraged visitors to monitor Folsom Lakes’ social media platforms for updates and said the Browns Ravine remains open because it has a boat ramp and shoreline areas outside of the contamination zone.
The public is advised to not enter the water per the signs posted.
Clean-up will continue on Wednesday. Saich said the Irrigation District has contracted a vacuum sweeper to work with staff Wednesday to “restore normal conditions.”
El Dorado Irrigation District is expected to complete a full sewage spill report.
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