Steel Lake in Federal Way is closed due to a raw sewage release, the city announced on May 27. People should not swim, wade, drink lake water, or engage in the other water-contact activities in Steel Lake until the closure is lifted.
Samples of the lake water were taken on May 24 and after being analyzed, the samples were found to exceed the cutoff for safe usage of the lake, according to the city. Steel Lake is at 2410 S. 312th St.
Any measurement above 320 CFU/100ml is considered hazardous, according to the city. The preliminary sample results were 660,000 CFU/100ml at the lakeshore and 2,700,000 CFU/100ml from the closest catch basin to the lake.
The city will take samples daily until the CFU levels are safe. In order to reopen the lake, there must two consecutive samples below 320 CFU/100ml.
Once the backup is fixed, based on similar situations, it will take roughly 10 days for the lake to recover to safe levels. The park will remain open during regular hours for non-water-related park activities.
For questions, contact Federal Way City Hall at 253-835-7000.
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