By Mike Harris – Special to the Alpine Mountaineer

After being closed for seven days because of a sewage spill into the sediment basin next to the Crestline library, Lake Gregory reopened its North and South Shore beaches on Thursday, July 19, and allowed visitors to return to swimming and water play.

“The spill did get into the storm drain but we held it at the sediment basin next to the library,” Nathan Godwin, Lake Gregory’s general manager, said. “We did sand bags. The Crestline Sanitation District (CSD) also helped, and Special Districts pumped out a significant amount of water from the basin.”

Godwin added that the lake was closed from an abundance of caution, as nothing seems to have gotten into the lake from the spill.

“We got the water quality report on Wednesday afternoon, July 19, and it was what we needed to see,” he said. “The safety measures we implemented worked.

“I want to especially thank the Crestline Sanitation District for their help because, even though it was not their problem, when we called, they came out and helped,” Godwin said.

The spill reportedly came when a sludge mixture accidently escaped from a port-a-potty truck.