MORGAN HILL
– Raw sewage spilled from Holiday Lake Estates and into Anderson
Lake.
MORGAN HILL – Raw sewage spilled from Holiday Lake Estates and into Anderson Lake.
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 to 12 houses, Ashcraft said. The plug was removed within one hour of discovery.
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.
Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin water were not affected because their drinking water comes from wells.
