AUBURN – For the second time in 10 days, about 1,000 gallons of untreated wastewater flowed into Taylor Pond and flooded a neighboring basement Thursday.
Experts believe the spills neither endanger the health of the pond nor the people who use it. Professional cleaners have scoured the basement. And local leaders say the spills are over.
Equipment has been replaced, and testing of the water for rising bacteria will continue into next week, said Norm Lamie, manager of the Auburn Sewerage District.
The problems occurred at a wastewater pumping station about 75 feet from the edge of the pond, near the corner of Sandy Beach and Terrace roads.
On June 20, a pump there failed. Typically when that happens, an alarm goes off. This time it didn’t. About 1,000 gallons of wastewater, liquid human waste, was expelled into the pond. It also flooded the bottom of a basement.
Workers at the sewerage district didn’t know there was a problem until the homeowners called, Lamie said.
Immediately, technicians stopped the flow. While they made adjustments, a professional cleaning service was sent to the home.
Until then, Lamie had never seen an alarm fail, he said. The alarms are present at each of 23 stations around the city, and Lamie has worked here for more than 20 years.
On Thursday, it happened again. Once again, about 1,000 gallons of untreated sewage flowed into the pond.
Workers replaced the alarm while technicians took samples of the nearby soil and water. Early results show no rise in bacteria.
And despite the size of the spills, there’s no change in the look or odor of the pond, Lamie said.
“I’m not happy about it,” said Kay Little, who lives on Taylor Pond. “But it’s a big lake. Relatively speaking, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
The cleaning service is again cleaning the neighbor’s basement, Lamie said.
“They seem to be taking it very well,” he said.
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