Reichard said the level at which action is taken is 300 E-coli, and the pond in question tested out at 43 E-coli.
If the contents of a septic tank would have gotten in the pond, Reichard said the levels would have been significantly higher.
He also said there weren’t any concerns with ground contamination because the nearest well was 70 feet away from the spill, and the soil is sandy, which does a good job of filtering.
I also didn’t see a lot of sewage on the ground."
The homeowner apparently pumps his tank yearly and had a receipt to verify he had it pumped in 2017.
As a result, Reichard said there likely weren’t a lot of solids in it.
The septic tank issue was reported to the Michigan State Police last weekend after neighbors called about the spill involving a resident from a Yellowpine Circle and Autumn Road residence in Selma Township.
Once on scene, the MSP also contacted the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as well as the Wexford County Road Commission.
The road commission blocked off the side road and then the DEQ was contacted on Saturday.
Most of the septic tank’s contents were caught in a ditch by the home but some got out of the ditch and flowed across Yellowpine Circle.