Great Parks is ordering everyone off of the water at Winton woods. Routine bacteria testing of Winton Lake revealed high levels of e-coli contamination.
The test results led to the discovery of a sewage leak.
The park district said it had notified Hamilton County Public Health, the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) of Greater Cincinnati and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
The sewer district confirms to WVXU that leak is not part of the MSD system and is from a private sewer line.
Great Parks says the leak is located near the entrance to the eastern half of the park.
Park staff Friday started putting up hand-washing stations, and signs warning visitors against ingesting lake water.
A spokesperson says Great Parks is working to flush and repair the damaged sewer pipe.
Paddleboarding, fishing, kayaking and canoeing are all suspended for the time being. Swimming at Winton Lake is always prohibited. Land-based activities are still on, including the Kids Outdoor Adventure Expo and races.
In May of last year, a sewage leak a mile upstream in Springfield Township shut the lake down. That sewer pipe break was blamed on roots and wet wipes.
Winton Lake — named West Fork Lake by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which constructed it — was built as a flood control basin. Runoff from a 30-square-mile watershed flows into the 175-acre lake. As such,
swimming is prohibited in the lake, though water activities such as boating and fishing are permitted.
The park district routinely tests the water in the lake because of its status as a flood control basin.
Great Parks of Hamilton County, in a previous statement to WVXU, wrote, "Due to the large size and urban character of the Winton Lake watershed, there are many potential contaminants that can be picked up by water on the way into the lake."
Read more:
