A break in a home’s sewer line on Grandview Lake in western Bartholomew County allowed an undetermined amount of raw sewage to enter the lake.
Mike Mullinix, president of the Grandview Service Utility Board, confirmed a break in the sewer line occurred this week, but could not say when and how it was discovered, or how quickly it had been repaired by the homeowner, who was not named.
No remediation is required because of the rainy conditions and the high water in the lake, which allowed the spill to dissipate, he said.
Mullinix said the Grandview Lake community was not required to notify state environmental officials because the community — with more than 200 lakefront homes — has a privately owned sewer system and wastewater treatment plant.
The spill went over many yards of ground before reaching the water, further limiting its effect on the lake, Mullinix said.
Grandview Lake homeowners, who are Southwest Bartholomew Water Corp. customers, do not obtain their drinking water out of the lake, he said. Southwestern is a nonprofit water company serving more than 3,000 customers in Bartholomew and Brown counties.
Mullinix explained that the sewer lines serving many of the homes in the Grandview Lake area are more than 40 years old and used steel pipes instead of brass. Couplings used connect the pipes are breaking, which is what happened in the most recent incident causing the sewer line break, he said.
No advisories on swimming or boating in the lake have been issued as a result of the spill by state authorities, who were unaware of any sewage spill in the lake when contacted Friday.
