Raw sewage forces closure of popular Olympia swimming lake
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OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Olympia's pristine Ward Lake has an emergency closure, and residents are finding disgusting evidence of raw sewage.
"Well, just poop floating by," said resident Jeff Lake. "And toilet paper."
Water tests late last week showed high levels of fecal coliform.
"It's 10 times the standard and in fact one sample was higher than that," said Art Starry with Thurston County Environmental Health. "And so that was a big concern."
It was big enough to force the immediate closure of the lake.
"Can't swim, you shouldn't walk in it, said former Olympia school superintendent Art Coble, who has lived on the lake 60 years. "It's not safe to be around."
Lake resident Denise Marz believes the source may be the sewer system for the homes on the north end of the lake. But city health inspectors are checking the sewage pumping station and the groundwater table.
"They've pressure tested their lines, they've looked at their pump station and they haven't found anything that's the obvious source of the problem," Starry said.
Which turns the attention the individual homeowners on the lake who have their own separate septic systems. Could one or some of them have failed? All they know is that what's going down someone's toilet, is going out into Ward Lake, bringing a halt to some of the best swimming days of the year.
Health experts say fecal coliform isn't deadly but can really make you sick.
Tests will take a few more days so the lake could remain closed for the rest of the week or perhaps longer.
"Well, just poop floating by," said resident Jeff Lake. "And toilet paper."
Water tests late last week showed high levels of fecal coliform.
"It's 10 times the standard and in fact one sample was higher than that," said Art Starry with Thurston County Environmental Health. "And so that was a big concern."
It was big enough to force the immediate closure of the lake.
"Can't swim, you shouldn't walk in it, said former Olympia school superintendent Art Coble, who has lived on the lake 60 years. "It's not safe to be around."
Lake resident Denise Marz believes the source may be the sewer system for the homes on the north end of the lake. But city health inspectors are checking the sewage pumping station and the groundwater table.
"They've pressure tested their lines, they've looked at their pump station and they haven't found anything that's the obvious source of the problem," Starry said.
Which turns the attention the individual homeowners on the lake who have their own separate septic systems. Could one or some of them have failed? All they know is that what's going down someone's toilet, is going out into Ward Lake, bringing a halt to some of the best swimming days of the year.
Health experts say fecal coliform isn't deadly but can really make you sick.
Tests will take a few more days so the lake could remain closed for the rest of the week or perhaps longer.
Just keep looking and find someone to foot the bill. You make a mess, you pay to clean it up.
Who left the capitol doors open??????
Looks like too much waste to have been from a single residence septic system. The most likely culprit is a public system. They fail all the time which is why a public system is far worse than a single residence system. The ones over here in Bremerton fail all the time and nothing is ever done about it. They just need to go back to the safer individual septic systems.
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@Dannyboy - Talk about killing two birds with one 'stone'...........LOL!
Ewww. just, ewwwww!!!
Carl Spangler will clean it up
They should check Hewitt Lake across Yelm Hwy from Ward Lake -- my understanding is the 2 lakes are connected deep underground & what I always heard growing up around here is things dropped in one would pop up in the other. This is a real shame. Ward Lake holds tons of memories for me from high school days, including some serious sunburns!
I guess there's no topic that doesn't bring the boring, bitter, unfunny political quips.
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Your lives must suck. My sympathies, sort of.
Must be all the overflow sewage coming out of the capital building.
Nothing like getting ready to go for a swim in your favorite spot, and seeing Snickers bars floating in the water.
@northwestsurfer c'mon man. i'm trying to eat my lunch! :b
(KOMO:Â With the Headline, you made this way to easy)
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......are they sure the source was not from the Capitol Building....We all know the degree of fecal matter that's been spewing out of there for the last eight years.
 @Sydthepiper You don't like what's going on in the capitol? Vote in someone else or run for office with better plans or support candidates that have what you think are better plans. Your choice.
 @Sydthepiper I agree with you, but always thought crap rolled downhill. It just proves that  the sh** from Oly runs uphill. Happy to see a change from what we have had as well.