EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. — A pipe leak Sunday in El Dorado County sent “a lot” of sewage into Folsom Lake.
The leak happened around 9:30 p.m. along the shoulder of Green Valley Road west of Francisco Drive in El Dorado Hills, and it sent sewage into Browns Ravine, where the Folsom Lake Marina is located, according to El Dorado Irrigation District (EID) spokesman Jesse Saich.
“We don’t have the calculation yet for how much might have made it into the lake,” Saich told ABC10. “Our pumper trucks were concurrently removing a lot.”
An old pipe caused the leak, and Saich initially said the leak was estimated at 40,000 gallons. He said Tuesday afternoon he expects a more accurate estimate to be less than that number.
Saich also said the EID’s capital improvement plan would’ve addressed the old pipe in the long term, but this leak occurred before then.
The sewer line was reportedly drained and repaired approximately three hours after the leak. EID crews then replaced the damaged section of the pipeline by noon Monday, Saich said. The pipeline was fully back in service hours later.
“Although EID was able to capture a significant portion of the volume that leaked, the district believes that a portion may have reached Folsom Reservoir, specifically in the area of Browns Ravine,” he said.
Saich said irrigation district crews will remain assigned to all affected areas until they are clean. The first water quality testing results will come late Wednesday or early Thursday; the next round should be in by Monday, he said.
“We don’t have a fixed time,” he said. “I understand we had some crews out to clean up this (Tuesday) morning.”
The EID is reportedly committed to minimizing any environmental impact, protecting public health and ensuring water quality, according to Saich. Agencies they’ve contacted include El Dorado County Environmental Health Division, Regional Water Quality Control Board, California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and California State Parks.
