Lenawee County Health Department lifts health advisory for Devils Lake

Jun 12, 2023

MANITOU BEACH — A health advisory to not make contact with Devils Lake because of a sanitary sewer overflow was lifted Wednesday evening by the Lenawee County Health Department.

Based on the results from water testing at Devils Lake, the water is safe to contact and the advisory is no longer in effect, the health department said in a news release.

Monday's advisory was put into place because of a discharge from the Rollin Woodstock sanitary drain district into Devils Lake, which originated at about 9:30 a.m. in the area of 6190 U.S. 223 at the north end of the lake and was corrected by 10 a.m. The advisory did not apply to public or private drinking water supplies.

The cause of the overflow likely stems from the Rollin Woodstock drainage district which is currently in the middle of a large project to upgrade and replace 18 lift stations in the Devils and Round lakes area, the county said. Based on the location of the sewage overflow and the volume of the spill, Round Lake was not within the affected area, but the advisory went into effect for the entirety of Devils Lake.

"One of the (lift) stations is currently being bypassed by two portable pumps. Due to an issue with the bypass pumping, a sewer main backed up and was leaking from around a manhole lid and into the adjacent lake," the county explained in a frequently asked questions document issued Tuesday. "The leak has been eliminated and sample testing has begun in connection with standards set by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy through the Lenawee County Health Department."