Union Bay Water Deemed Safe

The Laurelhurst Blog received this information from Seattle Public Utilities regarding the possibly contaminated water at Union Bay:

SPU received word today that it is safe to resume water activities. Results back this morning from the latest water samples show that it’s safe to swim and pursue other water activities.

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) also told the Laurelhurst Blog:

LCC spoke with the SPU incident response team today, and the test results are "zero, zero and a minimal amount of animal bacteria" that is normal from local birds (all those geese). They tested the area and the pumping station system twice and now considered all clear and safe for any use. 

No "official" report has been posted yet on what happened.  Their "best guess" is that the pumping station overflowed, which triggered the SPU alarm. Around that same time, there was an isolated heavy rain shower centered around Union Bay/South Laurelhurst. Likely, it caused a rush of runoff water which caused an overcapacity situation for the localized pumping station.  

All is good now, so enjoy the weekend in, and on the waters of Union Bay.

Save Union Bay Association (SUBA) also reported that they had a meeting with SPU several days ago regarding the sewer overflow which dumped into Union Bay. Their tests, at the time, revealed contaminated seepage. SPU recommended to SUBA that homeowners and Union Bay users not swim until the bacteria was back to acceptable levels. 

SUBA added "Too much development they fear, with old infrastructure that does not have the capacity to handle the extra sewer flows."

Seattle Public Utilities reported yesterday to the Laurelhurst Blog that their crews responded to a sewer overflow on July 15th about midnight in the neighborhood.

SPU added that the "sewer pump station located in the 3000 Block of West Laurelhurst Drive NE was inundated with water to a point where the two pumps could not keep up. Tis caused a release of wastewater though an overflow pipe to nearby Union Bay for about thirty minutes." 

SPU crews took samples at Union Bay yesterday and had advised that neighbors avoid water contact in the area of the overflow until samples were analyzed.