You can view Lake Washington’s historical water temperatures measured by the county here

The warming waters of Lake Washington off popular Madrona Beach are closed to swimmers this week after a power outage caused a sewage overflow at a city facility Monday.

Health officials have ordered the closure between Madrona Beach and Howell Park to the north “over the next several days” saying bacteria levels could make people or pets sick.

King County Wastewater says its crews responded to a power outage at the East Pine Street Pump Station in Madrona that shut down equipment Monday afternoon “and caused an overflow into Lake Washington.”

Workers started the emergency generator and the pump station is back online, according to a statement on the spill.

East Pine Street Pump Station

The county say the station is again performing properly and staff “will determine why the generator failed t

o turn on automatically.”

Beach closure signs have been posted between Madrona Beach and Howell Park.

Lake Washington is closely monitored and late summer typically brings closures over bacteria and algal toxicity. Current closures also include Gene Coulon, Matthews Beach, Meydenbauer Bay Beach, and Newcastle Beach.

Beyond sewage accidents, the lake’s waters have become increasingly prone to bacteria and algae blooms. In 1998, a county study showed the lake’s surface was about 2.7 F hotter than it had been in measurement in 1964, a trend that has gotten worse.

For updates on the Madrona spill area and alerts for the rest of the lake, check out green2.kingcounty.gov/swimbeach/ for updates.

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