Health concerns raised after sewage leaks into Carmel River - KSBW Monterey

Health concerns raised after sewage leaks into Carmel River

Luxury resort Carmel Valley Ranch has had issues lately with its sewage pipes.

On two separate occasions in August, sewage coming from the resort spilled into the Carmel River.

The first spill was verified on Aug. 7 and the second was verified on Aug. 16. The latest spill was estimated to have sent 1,200 tons of sewage into the river.

“The origin of the spill is from a buildup of fats, oils and greases into the sewage lines and those can cause blockages,” explained Marni Flagg, who’s with the Monterey County Health Department. “Sewage did come from a backup up in the line and then onto the grown, flowed into a storm drain and from the storm drain, into the system to an outfall to the river.”

Health concerns for the local ecosystem are being raised, especially considering the mouth of the river flows into the Carmel River State Beach.

It's important to note that Monterey County has no jurisdiction over these sewage lines, so the property owner will have to fix this issue on their own.

“I do believe the property owners will mitigate this issue because all of the lines do need to be hydro jetted and cleaned out so we can prevent this from happening again," Flagg said. “Sewage in the river is particularly concerning because of the nitrogen and other nutrients that are there and they can cause an algal bloom and can also harm any fish in the river.”

People visiting Carmel River State Beach were concerned about the issue.

“Put signs out and make people aware, I would like to see that happen. I think it's serious enough to pay the money to do it,” Linda Turner-Bynoe said.

Flagg says there's a takeaway message for this whole incident.

“Don't flush those large items, take really good care of our infrastructure because it is aging on the peninsula and we do need to make sure we take care of what we have," Flagg said.

We reached out to the resort but didn’t receive a call back, however, the county says that the resort is working on fixing the issue with the sewage lines to prevent future leaks into the river.