No contact order for Grand, Red Cedar rivers and nearby creeks lifted, health official says
Eric Lacy
MASON — The Grand River, Red Cedar River and two nearby creeks have been deemed safe for human contact by the Ingham County Health Department.
A no contact order for the the rivers, Rayner Creek and Sycamore Creek was lifted Tuesday, four days after officials issued it because of wastewater overflows in Mason.
Health officials reviewed samples from 21 locations in the rivers and creeks on Tuesday to determine whether the entire Sycamore Creek Watershed north of Mason is safe.
Water samples collected through the department’s weekly monitoring program show that E. coli levels found Monday were comparable to or lower than levels detected the previous week, said Amanda Darche, a department spokeswoman.
E. coli is 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.
Overwhelmed system
The no contact order was issued following news Friday afternoon that wastewater from the City of Mason's treatment plant had overflowed.
Mason City Manager Deborah Stuart said Tuesday the city's treatment plant was so overwhelmed that it released about 2.7 million gallons of wastewater into the watershed from 1 p.m. Thursday to 1 p.m. Friday.
On a normal day, the plant processes and treats 1.2 million gallons of wastewater, Stuart said.
“It’s just the reality of having different trends in weather,” Stuart said of the overflow issues. "We’re having at least one large rain event a year.”
Stuart said the treatment plant had not experienced any overflowing Tuesday.
Mason officials have plans to expand wastewater treatment plant over the next two years so it can handle excess rain.
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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