Sewage Spill

Please allow me to address the unfortunate sewer spill that occurred this past Friday at the northern end of Deep Creek Lake.  The official statement of the county was; ” An overflow of sanitary sewage occurred at the McHenry Sewage Holding Tank located at the intersection of Deep Creek Drive and Town Center Drive, McHenry, Maryland on Friday, August 9, 2013. Approximately 36,000 gallons of domestic wastewater entered a nearby stream which flows into Deep Creek Lake at the north western end of Marsh Run Cove. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has placed warning buoys in the area and affected properties have been posted. Water sampling and testing is being conducted and will be ongoing. Fishing and swimming in the area should be avoided until the restriction is lifted”

Let me first say that we all agree that this should never happen, however what was reported in the BaltimoreSun was inaccurate and should never have happened as well.  This is what was reported;  “Swimming and fishing have been discouraged at Deep Creek Lake since Friday after sewage overflowed into the popular summer vacation destination.”

My sources inform me that this over flow was due to human error, not system error.  They had to work on the collector line because of a leak at Hartwood Village and they diverted flow into this storage tank, intended for a temporary period of time.  However, the operator forgot to take the storage tank off-line after the repair was made and flow continued into the tank until it overflowed. 

So the overflow affected a small cove in the northern Marsh Run area.   Not the entire lake as the Baltimore Sun implied.   I guess Sensationalism sells.