Banklick Creek is almost 20 miles long, running from the Licking River in Covington into unincorporated Kenton County. Its water quality is consistently listed as “impaired” by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Now, the rupture of a Sanitation District 1 sewer line near Battleridge Drive in Independence means there’s also untreated wastewater in Banklink Creek. Crews were notified Sunday afternoon and contained the spillage, but are still working to filter the wastewater out of the creek.
“Out of an abundance [of] caution, residents and pets are advised to avoid the affected area for at least 72 hours,” SD1 said in a statement.
SD1 said it is addressing the damaged pipeline through "significant investments to replace aging infrastructure and improve the reliability of our wastewater system.” Once completed, SD1 said the improvements will eliminate 6.9 million gallons of sewer overflows per year in Northern Kentucky.
The Banklick Watershed Council said it’s working with SD1 to make sure those infrastructure improvements are done with minimal harm to the environment.
“What we know about the systems now to protect both the stream and the infrastructure is kind of one and the same,” said Council Chair Matt Wooten. “So we have been working with them and collaborating with them and trying to minimize the impacts associated with the installation of the new infrastructure.”
Even though the creek has been polluted for years, residents still use it for recreation.
“We have parks and preserves located up and down the creek [like] Pioneer Park,” said Banklick Watershed Council watershed coordinator Nicole Clements. “We have some trails and places up in Independence and stuff where the public can get to and access the creek.”
Clements and Wooten recommend residents wait longer than the standard three days, or 72 hours, SD1 recommended before using the creek again.
For updates on the spillage, contact SD1 through email at info@sd1.org. Residents can also follow the Banklick Watershed Council for updates.
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