Worcester sewer overflow prompts Lake Quinsigamond restrictions

Worcester has restricted swimming and fishing in part of Lake Quinsigamond after a sanitary sewer overflow sent approximately 15,000 gallons of untreated wastewater toward the lake on Friday, July 24.

The affected area is near the O’Hara Brook discharge by Whitla Drive and Ideal Road. The restriction applies to that section of the lake, not necessarily to the entire lake.

What happened

The city said the overflow began at about 5:20 a.m. near 23 Southwest Cutoff, also known as Route 20. The wastewater came from an underground sanitary sewer pipe. Worcester crews stopped the leak by 7:23 a.m., and the city said the sewer system was operating normally afterward.

Some of the wastewater entered the storm sewer system and reached Lake Quinsigamond through O’Hara Brook. Because the discharge may have raised E. coli levels in the affected area, the city issued cautionary restrictions on swimming and fishing.

What residents should do

Residents should avoid swimming and fishing in the affected section until Worcester announces that testing supports recreational use. The city has not reported that the entire lake is closed, and the approved updates do not establish a reopening date.

The city is conducting E. coli testing daily. The restrictions will remain in place until test results return to an acceptable recreational range and officials announce that the area is cleared.

Residents should follow official city updates rather than rely on the absence of visible pollution or on general conditions elsewhere on the lake. Untreated wastewater is not always visible, and the current advisory is based on the possible presence of harmful bacteria.

What happens next

As of Sunday, July 26, the testing plan and recreation restrictions remained active. The city has not provided a July 26 test result or announced when swimming and fishing can resume in the affected area.

Worcester’s sewer-notification system distinguishes sanitary sewer overflows from the city’s separate combined sewer overflow system. In this incident, the city identified an underground sanitary sewer pipe near Southwest Cutoff as the source and described the response as a completed leak stoppage followed by ongoing water-quality monitoring.

For now, the practical guidance is straightforward: stay out of the affected Lake Quinsigamond section, avoid fishing there, and wait for a city clearance based on testing before returning to the water.

Sources

• City of Worcester sewer overflow notice
• The Boston Globe report on the Lake Quinsigamond warning
• Boston 25 News report on the wastewater leak