E. coli levels at Weatherby Lake are back to normal after a sewage spill caused concerns last month.

According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, a power failure Oct. 28 caused a number of sewage pumps operated by Kansas City Public Works to go offline near 8316 N.W. Forest Drive in Platte County, releasing about 1,000 gallons of untreated sewage into nearby Weatherby Lake.

Travis Ford, spokesman for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, said although the amount of sewage released was relatively small compared to the size of the lake, the department advised the general public after the accident to avoid bodily contact with the lake until further testing could confirm

its impact.

On Oct. 31, the department released the results of its sampling of the lake, which showed high levels of E. coli present in the water. According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, two of the five samples taken at the lake Oct. 29 showed levels of E. coli that exceeded the federal maximum allowed for swimming beaches by 10 times.

Once the high levels of E. coli were confirmed, Ford said, all the department could do was wait for the bacteria to subside before reopening the lake.

“You can’t really do anything; bacteria just takes a few days to die,” he said.

After additional testing Nov. 6, the department announced that the levels of E. Coli in the lake were back under the maximum level allowed by the federal government and the lake was reopened.

Joseph Ennett, president of the Weatherby Lake Improvement Co., which owns the lake, also confirmed that the lake had been reopened and was once again safe for recreation.

“The lake did correct itself, and the lake is healthy,” he said. “The lake is deep enough and healthy enough that it came back.”

This is not the first time Weatherby Lake has had a sewer system back up and affect the lake, Ennett said, and the company is working with Kansas City to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“Anytime you have a sewage situation you certainly are concerned because this is a full use lake, and we’re pretty protective of it because it’s a full use lake,” he said. “So, yes, we are certainly concerned, and we are working with Kansas City to get them to take all necessary precautions in the future.”

Staff writer Michael Westblade can be reached at 389-6636 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .