Damaged lake recovery slow, cause uncertain

Spring Lake is slowly getting back to normal.

But the cause for the environmental damage to the lake is yet unknown.

In late October, about 22,000 gallons of sewage flowed into the lake, located near the intersection of Clark and Palm drives in Holmes Beach. The waste came from a nearby Manatee County lift station. The county initially blamed the killing of more than 100 fish in the lake to the sewage spill. Now, officials aren’t so sure that’s the reason crabs, red fish, snook and other species of fish died in the lake.

According to Amy Pilson, public affairs liaison to Manatee County Utilities, the reason for the fish kill could be unrelated to the sewage overflow.

Pilson said dead fish were first reported in the lake Oct. 26, two days before the sewage incident on Oct. 28. She said the two events are potentially related. However, with the sewage spill coming on the heels of the first reported fish kill, it may be difficult to identify the cause.