Milford, IA (KICD) — Raw sewage was discharged into both East and West Lake Okoboji during the storm Monday. Iowa Great Lakes Sanitary Sewer Director Steve Anderson says not all of the pumps have battery backups, so an extended power outage caused problems in both the Manhattan Beach and Frances Sites locations.

Anderson and his crew took portable generators to as many lift stations as possible but couldn’t get everywhere.
Besides the power outage, Anderson says the perennial problem of illegal sump pumps continue to compound the problem.

Thirdly, Anderson says, customers themselves created a surge when the power finally came back on.

Anderson says the municipalities that draw drinking water from the lake were notified immediately. He estimates there was about 10 gallons of discharge per minute for about eight hours.