COLUMBIA TWP., MI - Officials are testing for E. coli after diluted raw sewage spilled into Lake Columbia due to a sewer leak over the weekend.
Village of Brooklyn drain officials responded to the reported leak about 10:40 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 22 at Hewitt Road and Bryce Drive, at the northeast corner of the lake.
Just more than an hour later, the leak was contained.
An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 gallons of diluted raw sewage moved through a county storm drain into Lake Columbia, said Director of Public Works Keith Kotsch.
No precautions are called for at this point, Kotsch said, because it was "a pretty small amount" that made it to the lake. It's considered diluted raw sewage because it includes more than just wastewater, he said.
"There's shower water, dishwasher and washer machine water and other things like that," Kotsch said. "It's not like raw sewage coming out of a Porta-John or something like that."
Additional sewage was sucked into tanks, allowing officials to repair the broken connection at the 16-inch main.
Columbia Township contracts with the village of Brooklyn on all sewage operations.
Samples have been taken at the point of discharge, as well as at spots a few hundred feet upstream and downstream, Kotsch said. Officials should know by Wednesday, Sept. 26 if the water tests positive for E. coli.
The Jackson County Health Department and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality have been notified.