193K Gallons Of Sewage Spills Into Lake Quinsigamond, E. Coli Levels Elevated

WORCESTER, MA — An estimated 193,300 gallons of untreated wastewater flowed into Lake Quinsigamond Tuesday evening, prompting a warning about elevated E. coli levels in the lake.

The sewer overflow happened around 6 p.m. near the Lake Avenue pump station just south of the Kenneth Burns Memorial Bridge. A city news release said the untreated wastewater flowed "to the street" from a leaking underground pipe, into the storm sewer system and then into the lake. A failed air release valve caused the pipe to start leaking.

"[A] manhole on Lake Avenue was observed with water bubbling up and flowing towards the gutter. That water eventually flowed downhill and entered catch basins which are piped to discharge to the lake," a city spokesperson said.

The area near the spill will likely have the highest concentrations of potentially harmful bacteria, but city officials warned the public that ice fishing won't be allowed on the entire lake until the water clears.

Tuesday's spill was near the same pump station that in 2022 spilled 6 million gallons into Lake Quinsigamond. An equipment failure inside the pump station allowed untreated sewage to flow into the lake for about three hours before it was discovered by public works crews. The spill took another 36 hours to stop completely.