More danger signs warning of sewage spill into Folsom Lake posted following CBS13's report
EL DORADO HILLS — State Parks officials added barricades to the area of Folsom Lake where sewage spilled following CBS13's report on Monday night.
The El Dorado Irrigation District said the sewage spill came from a pipe that was leaking near Green Valley Road in El Dorado Hills Sunday night. They repaired that pipe Monday, but an unknown amount made it into Browns Ravine.
Pump trucks have been sucking sewage out of the lake since then. Officials posted red tags on trees that read "danger," warning people about entering the water. They also added barricades on Tuesday.
Every person I spoke to at the lake Tuesday had not heard anything about the feces flowing into the water.
"I'm surprised we didn't hear anything about it at the front pay station," said Gregg Bussey, who was taking a boat out onto Folsom Lake.
CBS13 was first to confirm that a pipe started leaking the brown water into Browns Ravine after a concerned caller told us. That sewage seeped into the lake and a nearby cul-de-sac.
"It was brown with stuff floating in it and it was bunching up into certain driveways," said David Michael, who lives in that cul-de-sac that got flooded with sewage.
The El Dorado Irrigation District said the state only requires them to test the water in the spill area, which in this case was Marina Cove at Browns Ravine.
"I don't know how many days it will take, but we will continue to test until we get the all clear," El Dorado Irrigation District manager Jesse Saich said.
State Parks posted an advisory on its website, following CBS13's initial report, warning people not to touch the water at the Browns Ravine marina. The advisory also said the areas of Folsom Lake beyond there were unaffected.
"Hopefully it was just like a small incident," said Tony Lamadora, who was out on the lake Tuesday.
Just how much sewage seeped in remains to be seen when the water tests come back.
The El Dorado Irrigation District is expecting its first results late Wednesday or early Thursday. It then expects more test results on Monday.