40 gallons of sewage spill from manhole at Fallen Leaf Lake results in 5-10 gallons getting into lake

MONDAY UPDATE: Results from the six water samples collected at Fallen Leaf Lake after Sunday morning's sewage spill show elevated levels of total coliform, including e.coli, at the point of entry and 150 feet north of the sewer spill. The bacteria levels detected are below the requirements for beach closures.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A broken valve at one of South Tahoe Public Utility District’s (STPUD) sewer pump stations resulted in five to ten gallons of sewage spilling into Fallen Leaf Lake early Sunday morning. Crews have since repaired the valve. The site was cleaned up and spill signs have been placed around the affected area.

At 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, 2024, an alarm went off, notifying District staff of higher-than-normal sewage levels at a pump station on Fallen Leaf Lake Road. Upon inspection, it was determined there was a broken valve, and multiple crews were called in to assist. Due to the inability to isolate the valve and stop flow entering the station, at 12:19 a.m. approximately 40 gallons of sewage spilled out of the manhole next to 534 Fallen Leaf Lake Road, and an estimated five to ten gallons flowed into Fallen Leaf Lake.

“Our crew’s quick response limited the amount of sewage entering the lake to just a few gallons,” said Paul Hughes, STPUD general manager.

To contain the spill, STPUD used two vacuum trucks to suck out the manhole. With the spill under control, their field operators made a confined space entry into the wet well to replace the broken valve. The impacted roadway and stairs were sprayed down and vacuumed up, and spill signs were placed around the site. Water quality samples were taken, and results are pending.

Sunday afternoon, STPUD reported its six water samples collected from Fallen Leaf Lake show no difference in water quality between the samples taken at the spill site versus the control sites 400 feet away.

Samples taken back to the lab were further analyzed for low-level ammonia and bacteria. Ammonia, which is the main indicator of sewage in water,
was not detected at any of the six sites. Results from bacteria testing for total coliform, including e.coli, will be available in 24 hours.

STPUD staff will continue to monitor water quality at Fallen Leaf Lake
throughout the week.