ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orange County Environmental Protection Division is warning residents that the water in Lake Rose could make them sick.
Thousands of gallons of raw sewage poured into the lake after a pump station failed on Sunday.
"It could take up to a couple (of) weeks for Mother Nature to help kill off the waste bacteria that comes from the sewage," Julie Bortles, the division's supervisor, said.
Samples collected by residents and county environmental crews were found to be contaminated after tests were done.
"Results in the canal came back relatively high, which we expected, and the results in Lake Rose came back above state standards," Bortles said.
Crews plan to retest the water on Thursday and urge residents to stay away from that water until further tests are done.
"It's toxic in that if you ingest it, it can cause gastro problems, but usually if people touch it it's not going to cause a reaction," Bortles said.
The county said the problem is rare, but the leak came from a private citizen and the county has no control over private sewage systems. The cause of the incident was a break of the main sprinkler line that eroded the ground housing of the valve box and broke the lift station.
The county has notified the Department of Environmental Protection and has placed signs up to alert people to stay clear of the water.
Cox Media Group
