Stars and Bars RestorationIf you live in or around Ordway, you've probably already heard: Crowley County confirmed on September 14th that water affected by the Pueblo wastewater spill has made its way into Lake Meredith. The county is advising people to avoid direct contact with the water there out of an abundance of caution while testing continues.
This traces back to August 26th, when a temporary bypass pipe cracked under back pressure during a $7 million infrastructure project at the City of Pueblo's wastewater treatment facility (the break was discovered and stopped the next day), releasing roughly 4 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Arkansas River. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) issued a water-contact advisory that stretched from where Fountain Creek enters the river all the way down through John Martin Reservoir — a corridor that runs past Blende, Avondale, Fowler, Manzanola, Rocky Ford, La Junta, and Las Animas. That advisory at John Martin was actually lifted back on September 4th once bacteria levels there tested clean. Lake Meredith is a different body of water, fed off the river system on a different timeline, which is why it's only now, weeks later, showing the effects locally.
We've written before about the Pueblo spill's impact on the lower Arkansas Valley, but Ordway and Crowley County deserve their own straight answer, since this is the first time this specific event has landed close to home for that community.
What the Advisory Actually Says
Per Crowley County's public notice and CDPHE's guidance for this event, the advisory is about direct water contact — swimming, wading, fishing, and similar recreation — not about tap water. Municipal drinking water in Ordway comes from groundwater wells, not from Lake Meredith, so this isn't a "boil water" situation. The concern is bacterial contamination (E. coli and similar) in the surface water itself, which is exactly the kind of contamination you'd expect from untreated sewage. Keep pets and kids away from the lake edge for now, and if you or a pet did have contact with the water, wash off with clean water and soap as a precaution.
That said, "avoid the lake" is easy advice to follow. What's harder to plan for is the fact that sewage contamination doesn't always announce itself with a public notice — and if you've got a septic system or an aging sewer line on your own property, this is a good moment to think about what a much smaller, much closer version of this problem looks like.
Why This Is a Good Time to Check Your Own System
Crowley County is largely septic-system territory outside the town core, and September is exactly when we start seeing a seasonal bump in backup calls — heavy fall rain saturates drain fields, and older systems that have been running fine all summer suddenly can't keep up. A few signs worth checking around your own property this week:
- Slow drains in multiple fixtures at once — if your kitchen sink, bathtub, and toilet are all draining slower than usual, that's usually a main line or septic tank issue, not a single clogged trap.
- Gurgling sounds from drains when you flush — air trying to escape past a blockage or a tank that's backing up.
- Wet or unusually green patches over your drain field — a sign the field is saturated or failing.
- Sewage odor near the tank or in the yard, especially after rain.
If you catch any of that early, it's a maintenance call. If you miss it, it turns into a basement or crawl space full of contaminated water — which is a biohazard cleanup, not a mop-and-bucket job. We've covered the broader version of this in our guide to septic system backup cleanup and our piece on what to do about a sewage backup in your basement — both apply directly here.
Sewage Water Is a Different Category of Cleanup
We treat sewage-contaminated water differently from a clean water leak, and insurance adjusters do too. Category 3 water — the technical term for water carrying sewage, bacteria, or other pathogens — requires:
- Removal of porous materials that absorbed the contaminated water (carpet, some drywall, insulation) rather than just drying them
- Antimicrobial treatment of surfaces that stay
- Personal protective equipment for anyone doing the cleanup — this is not a DIY wet-vac job
- Air quality monitoring in enclosed spaces before calling it done
This is where IICRC-certified training actually matters. Our technicians are trained to the same standards whether we're responding to a spill-related advisory or an everyday septic backup, and we document the cleanup in a way that holds up for insurance purposes.
What to Do If You're in Ordway or Anywhere in Crowley County
- Stay out of Lake Meredith's water until Crowley County or CDPHE lifts the advisory — check with the county for the latest status, since these advisories get updated as testing comes back.
- Check your own septic system or sewer line now, before the fall rain makes a marginal system fail completely.
- If you already have standing sewage water in your home, don't wait — that water is actively unsafe to be around, and the longer it sits, the more it soaks into subfloors, drywall, and framing.
- Call us before you start cleanup yourself if there's any question about scope. We'll tell you honestly if it's a job you can handle or one that needs professional extraction and disinfection.
Stars & Bars is IICRC certified and veteran-owned, and we serve Ordway and all of Crowley County alongside our home base in Colorado City and the rest of Southern Colorado. If Lake Meredith water contact is a concern for your family, or if you're dealing with a septic or sewer backup that has nothing to do with the river at all, call us at (719) 676-2456. We're also available 24/7 for emergency response if a backup happens outside business hours — sewage doesn't wait for Monday morning, and neither do we.
For general prevention and cleanup guidance beyond this specific event, our sewage cleanup and biohazard guide for Southern Colorado covers the basics every homeowner in this region should know. And if you want a second set of eyes on your septic system before it becomes a problem, that call is free — just dial (719) 676-2456.