A recent sewage spill into North Lake Tahoe has had a significant impact on the community, leading to the closure of two popular beaches and the temporary shutdown of local businesses.
The incident occurred in Carnelian Bay, where an 85,000-gallon spill of raw sewage was caused by a private contractor who accidentally drilled through the main sewer export pipeline while installing a lighted crosswalk on Highway 28.
The spill has led to the closure of both Carnelian West Beach and Patton Landing Beach, affecting both locals and tourists.
The North Tahoe Public Utility District has been actively monitoring the situation, conducting daily tests for harmful bacteria such as total coliform, fecal coliform, and E. coli, which are commonly associated with untreated sewage.
In addition, Placer County Environmental Health & Animal Services has also issued a health advisory, urging people to avoid the affected waters until bacterial levels return to safe standards.
Businesses like Tahoe Waterman's Landing, a family-owned canoe and kayak school and rental service, will continue to suffer until the beaches reopen, as operations have come to a grinding halt during the peak summer season.
"We're taking it day by day but it's impacting our business greatly. It's also emotionally heavy for us as a family as I think we all have a degree of PTSD from COVID-19 and it brings back memories of the shutdown which lasted much longer than expected," Anik Wild, owner of Tahoe Waterman's Landing told Newsweek.
"It's a waiting game for us and our employees who are sitting ready at the beach. I'm trying to keep my head up but we're now on day 7 of closure and I'm starting to crumble a bit."
Wild, who was first alerted to the incident at 5am last week, said healthcare authorities have not provided any timeline for when she can reopen. Additionally, they have been "very private" surrounding the water quality data.
"The only information we receive daily is that the lake's bacteria levels are above the healthy threshold, and it could hurt the human body. So they are waiting for that bacteria to die, but not giving us any numbers of even a percentage decrease as the days go on, so it's quite frustrating," she said.
Wild also noted out that the community might not realize the coffee shop is still open due to the drastic nature of the closure, leading to additional losses unrelated to waterfront activities.
"I overheard a customer on our patio wondering if our coffee was safe, which made me realize that many people might not know our coffee shop is still open. Some aren't aware that our drinking water comes from a deep well in the mountains," she added.
After the sewage pipe ruptured, untreated sewage initially collected in a parking lot before spilling into nearby waters.
Despite the quick response from crews of the North Tahoe Public Utility District, who contained approximately 40,000 gallons of raw sewage, around 85,000 gallons ultimately flowed into the lake that night.
"This is the disaster we train for. It's the thing we never want to happen and we try to prevent from happening with all of our resources. Unfortunately a private contractor didn't pay attention and drilled in the wrong spot, striking our 24-inch sewer pipeline at around 8pm on Thursday, July 18," Justin Broglio, public information officer at North Tahoe Public Utility District, told Newsweek.
The district crews received a 911 emergency call and arrived on the scene within minutes.
"We were on the scene right away and we had every member of our utility crew working as hard as they could to stop it going into the lake, but unfortunately there was just so much of it before we could turn off the pump station," he said.
Broglio estimates that the sewage flowed for approximately 45 minutes to an hour before the response team could isolate the brake.
"There are homes along the shoreline and businesses which are impacted. Two local businesses have been closed for a week during their busiest time of the year," he said.
However, Broglio emphasized that not all of Lake Tahoe is closed. "It's important to note that the rest of the lake remains unaffected. Lake Tahoe holds 39 trillion gallons of water, so while a large sewer spill is a serious issue we never want to face, the majority of the lake is still open and not impacted."
The North Tahoe Public Utility District is issuing daily updates regarding the spillage while the health advisory for the Lake Tahoe shore zone remains in effect.
Looking ahead, Wild is seeking advice and exploring potential legal options. "The mystery of finding out who will compensate us for these business losses is complicated because not all insurance companies cover this kind of situation," she said.
"I'm considering hiding a legal team that would work pro bono for us to see if they can direct us in the right direction in terms of coming back strong and making sure that we are compensated for the loss, but it's quite complicated."
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