For the second time in as many weeks, raw sewage spilled from
Holiday Lake Estates and headed toward Lake Anderson. This time,
however, it made it.
For the second time in as many weeks, raw sewage spilled from Holiday Lake Estates and headed toward Lake Anderson. This time, however, it made it.
A spill on Sept. 25 stopped 100-feet from the reservoir, used by the Santa Clara Valley Water District to provide drinking water for the area elsewhere in the county.
Jim Ashcraft, city public works director, said that the sewage discovered Thursday may have been spilling out over the past two weeks. He estimated that, with the 25 percent blockage of the main gravity line, possibly as much as 6,000 gallons of raw sewage had escaped.
Given that some would have been absorbed by the soil as the sewage traveled the 150-feet toward the lake, the actual amount may have been as little as 1,000 gallons.
The spill was discovered by city employees Thursday making a monthly visual inspection of manhole covers in the area, Ashcraft said.
“It was bubbling up,” he said. “But because there were no solids, it is hard to tell how bad it is.”
The area is on Holiday Court at the far northern end of Holiday Drive. The sewer line serves only 10-12 houses, Ashcraft said. The plug was removed within one hour of discovery.
Odor is a problem only near one house, which reduced chances of earlier discovery.
“If you’re within 10 feet of the spill you can smell an odor,” Ashcraft said.
The city has posted the area and notified the homeowner most affected but won’t be treating the spill directly, he said.
“If this was someplace else in the city, we would put chlorine one the spill, but not here because it could get into the water.”
Mike DiMarco, spokesman for the water district said the district had dispatched its haz mat team and was sending lab technicians to take samples of the water.
“We should have the results in about 48 hours,” DiMarco said.
“There is nothing you can do,” DiMarco said. “You can’t pump the lake. Initial reports say there is no solid material there so we will likely rely on dilution – unless we find a sizable amount of effluent.”
Based on information available Thursday afternoon, DiMarco said the water district will probably not recommend that the county park be closed.
Morgan Hill and San Martin water was not affected because that water comes from wells. Weekend boaters will not be using the lake since the boat ramp was closed in September to allow for further construction.
