Sewage spill contaminates Percival Creek, Capitol Lake, Budd Inlet
.jpg "An example of signs posted in the area of Percival Creek in west Olympia after raw sewage spilled into the creek over the weekend.")
UPDATE: This story was updated Wednesday with a new estimate of how sewage spilled.
Residents should avoid contact with Percival Creek, Capitol Lake and inner Budd Inlet after a sewage spill contaminated the waters, according to Thurston County.
About 735 gallons of sewage streamed into the Tumwater stormwater system and then into Percival Creek on Monday. The county attributed the spill to a blockage in a sanitary sewer line on Somerset Hill Drive Southwest.
The City of Tumwater initially estimated 3,000 gallons of sewage was discharged, but they updated their calculation on Wednesday.
Public health officials have advised the public to refrain from touching the water at Percival Creek, Capitol Lake and inner Budd Inlet until at least 9 a.m. Thursday.
Tumwater public works staff confirmed the spill at about 9 a.m. Monday and removed the blockage in the sewer line. Most of the sewage that exited the line had already entered the stormwater system.
Percival Creek runs from Trosper Lake through Tumwater and into Percival Cove which is connected to Capitol Lake. Somerset Hill Drive is located just south of South Puget Sound Community College’s Olympia campus.
This isn’t the first time Percival Creek has been affected by a sewage spill.
In May 2020, a similar spill discharged 1,400 gallons of raw sewage per hour into the creek. About 232,560 gallons of sewage ultimately entered the creek, and the state Department of Ecology fined the city of Olympia $15,000.
In February 2020, about 30,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the creek after a falling tree damaged a pedestrian bridge, a water pipe and sewer pipe.
Residents with questions about the most recent spill can contact Dave Kanisger from City of Tumwater Water Resources at 360-754-4144.
This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 5:13 PM.
