LAKE GEORGE — A sewer-line leak at the Hearthstone Point Campground this past weekend resulted in an “unknown” amount of sewage entering the lake, closing a nearby beach at a tourist resort while crews from the state Department of Health sampled for E. coli.
The leak at around 11 a.m. Saturday was the result of a construction mishap that occurred when crews who were installing a new guardrail accidentally punched through a force main, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which operates the campground and responded to the leak.
“A contractor inadvertently breached the force main, causing an unknown amount of sewage to be released to a nearby tributary of Lake George,” the agency said in a statement. “Crews worked to immediately stop the leak and are in the process of completing repairs to the broken section of pipe.”
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Sewage from the leak entered Stebbins Brook and was washed directly into the lake, according to Lake George Supervisor Dennis Dickinson.
Dickinson said the leak affected the nearby Lodges at Cresthaven, which was forced to close its beach for the day on Saturday while crews tested for elevated E. coli levels.
An employee at the resort, on Thursday, confirmed the beach was closed as a result of the leak, but referred further comment to a manager. The manager did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
A beach at the campground was also closed, following the spill, although around a dozen swimmers were spotted in the water Saturday afternoon.
DEC said E. coli samples taken from the brook and lake came back below the state’s allowable standard for beaches, which is 235 colonies per 100 milliliters.
“All involved agencies continue to work cooperatively and the campground remains open,” the agency said.
Earlier this month, the state shuttered Million Dollar Beach in Lake George after routine testing found elevated E. coli levels, which DEC has blamed on stormwater runoff.
The sewer leak comes amid growing calls to regulate septic systems around Lake George, following the first harmful algal bloom on the lake this past fall.
Several environmental groups, including the Lake George Association and the Fund for Lake George, have pointed to nutrients entering the lake through faulty septic systems as a possible culprit for the bloom.
The Lake George Park Commission formed a committee to examine the effects of faulty septic systems on the lake.
Calls to better regulate septic systems have been heard on the local level in recent weeks as well.
Warren County has been discussing whether to adopt a countywide property transfer law that would require all septic systems on lakefront properties be inspected before the property can change hands. Queensbury and Bolton already have similar laws on the books.
The county, this week, created a committee to examine the issue.
Reporter Michael Goot contributed to this report.