Plastic bags caused sewage backup; fecal numbers high
By Kathryn Reed
Plastic bags are what caused the backup at the Fresh Ketch restaurant and subsequent sewage spill into Lake Tahoe.
A plumber from Summit Plumbing in his work order said he found a 4-inch sewer line backed up and overflowing on May 3. He also removed plastic bags from the line.
On the Tahoe Keys Marina & Yacht Club Facebook page Chad Holdren, who works at the marina, claims two former tenants deliberately sabotaged the restaurant by flushing the bags down the toilet.
However, as of the afternoon of May 7, the marina had not contacted the police department to report a crime.
“There is no police activity at this time,” Police Chief Brian Uhler told Lake Tahoe News.
Andrew Lubrano, one of the people who the marina accused, told Lake Tahoe News, “I would never go out of my way to sabotage someone else. I have no reason to. I don’t believe anyone sabotaged them.”
He plans to meet with Lahontan officials next week as well as his attorney.
Lubrano is the one who on May 4 called the emergency number for Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board to let them know he saw the sewage on the back walkway of the South Lake Tahoe restaurant and that it was flowing into Lake Tahoe.
Lahontan tested for bacteria on Monday and found fecal coliform bacteria levels well above normal.
Tests taken May 6 show numbers are going down except at the location closest to the discharge. It is 288 colony forming units per 100 milliliters.
Lahontan’s standards are 20 cfu per 100 ml and not more than 10 percent of all samples collected in a 30-day period to exceed 40 cfu/100 ml.
“It could be a goose that went by before the sample was collected or it could be something else of that nature or it could be from the spill. It’s hard to say,” Eric Taxer, water resource control engineer with Lahontan, told Lake Tahoe News. “We will continue to collect samples through the week to see if it’s an anomaly or goes back down.”
The results have been forwarded to the El Dorado County Environmental Health Department.
At least the navy isn’t complaining about launch fees.
The person who first ‘saw’ the crap oozing into the lake and reported it is the very same person who ‘supposedly’ flushed the plastic bags into the pipe? No one from the Keys Marina has filed a police report? Something VERY STRANGE is going on here. No matter how you slice it.
Ahhh that explains it… it was a goose. Silly goose.
Yep. A goose. A golden goose. Properly cooked it tastes like chicken…
Plastic bags didn’t cause this, stupid people caused it.
Ya stupid people that flush plastic bags down toilets caused this. It says it right there, however you want to take it, plastic bags caused the back up not maintenance neglect or anything like that.
And as far as Andrew saying that he doesn’t believe anyone sabotaged the plumbing, think before you speak, obviously someone did sabotage, because as far as I know plastic bags don’t flush themselves down toilets.
And I find it oddly convenient that the person suspected of doing the sabotage is the same person that is first on site and doesn’t do anything to stop the overflow but instead starts taking pictures and calling agencies and media outlets rather that going to the source( the fresh ketch restaurant ) and letting them know so something could be done about it right away not a day later.
“I would never go out of my way to sabotage someone else. I have no reason to. I don’t believe anyone sabotaged them.”
Huh, you wouldn’t “go out of your way”. What a stupid remark. I suspect you are more involved than you would have us believe.
“It could be a goose that when by before the sample was collected or it could be something else of that nature or it could be from the spill.”
Please tell me this is a misquote. Better yet, tell me what Mr. Taxer actually said, because this “sentence” makes no sense at all.
I would still like to know why chad Holdren said on Facebook and the Tahoe Tribune that the bags were flushed down down the toilet. However on a channel two interview chad said a cap on a pipe outside the building had been removed and the bags were stuffed inside the sewage pipe. Which one is it because It cannot be both. Lastly the entrance to the bathroom and the dock where the pipe was “sabotaged” both have cameras so why has the footage not been reviewed? The answer to all of this is simple; the marina fabricated this story
I was in the Ketch last Friday night when 2 people came in saying that once again sewage was leaking outside the Ketch. If you ask any of the long time employees the Ketch has been plagued with plumbing problems for years . The original plumbing was never designed for its present use . The Big Differance is the previous management managed & the current management just blames everyone else . These recent things @ the Marina are problems because of current management & their spokesman Chad ( aka The Lord Of The Flies ). Should have facts before pointing fingers .
D’oh! The word should be ‘went’!
“It could be a goose that WENT by before the sample was collected[comma!] or it could be something else of that nature[comma!] or it could be from the spill.”
I feel better now that I know what Taxer meant to say…. not that I think goose poop is a likely culprit.