Health official: No contact order stands for Grand River, Red Cedar, nearby creeks
Eric LacyLANSING — The Ingham County Health Department is continuing to advise people to avoid contact with the Grand River, Red Cedar River, Sycamore Creek and Rayner Creek because of elevated bacteria levels.
Wastewater released last week into the Rayner Drain in Mason is still flowing downstream and has posed a health threat since Friday, said Amanda Darche, a department spokeswoman.
"The caution still stands," Darche said Monday morning.
The department issued a no contact order Friday that still stands for:
- The Red Cedar River and Grand River, downstream from Sycamore Creek (near Potter Park Zoo and west of the zoo)
- Sycamore Creek and Rayner Creek, north of Mason
Darche said Monday the department's sanitation workers took 21 samples that morning from the two rivers and Sycamore Creek and should determine by noon Tuesday if bacteria levels are safe enough to lift the no-contact order.
Health officials in Eaton and Barry counties haven't issued a no contact order for the Grand River or other rivers and creeks that run through their communities.
However, officials encourage people to demonstrate caution and avoid the water if they have open wounds, said Lauren Metcalfe, a Barry-Eaton District Health Department spokeswoman.
Exposure to wastewater and the germs it contains can make people sick.
Health department officials test the Lansing area's rivers and creeks for increased levels of E. coli — an organism that indicates the presence of sewage or wildlife waste.
E. coli levels are used by officials to determine when water is unsafe for swimming or partial human contact.
Mason stays on alert
Mason City Manger Deborah Stuart said late Monday afternoon that water levels at the wastewater treatment plant had lowered since Saturday afternoon.
However, Stuart said she's concerned about forecasts that call for more rain this week.
"Our No. 1 priority is to make sure (wastewater) doesn't back up into the houses," Stuart said.
If overflowing persists, Stuart said the city has the ability to use more pumps to pull the wastewater through the treatment plant faster.
Stuart said city officials have plans to expand Mason's wastewater treatment plant over the next two years so it can handle excess rain.
More rain expected
Water levels for the rivers and creeks could fluctuate this week and pose more challenges for wastewater systems in the Lansing region.
Wastewater can overflow into rivers when too much rain mixes with sewage in areas where the stormwater and sewage flows through the same pipe.
The Lansing region's weather forecast calls for some scattered showers and thunderstorms through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
A look at the forecast:
- Monday evening: scattered showers and thunderstorms; dry by midnight
- Tuesday: Mostly dry
- Wednesday: 20% chance of thunderstorms by 2 a.m.
- Thursday: Mostly dry; chance of thunderstorms by late evening
- Friday and Saturday: Chance of thunderstorms, scattered showers
- Sunday: Dry
While rain has dominated this month, the region is starting to get some relief and finally experience some normalcy, said Mark Sekelsky, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Grand Rapids.
"Basically, for this coming week, it looks more like a typical summertime pattern where we start seeing temperatures warming up to the 80s," Sekelsky said.
Check back for updates.
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Health officials issue: No contact with Grand, Red Cedar rivers or nearby creeks
Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.
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