HOLLAND TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, May 13, 2026) – We are learning more as for what led to the third No Body Contact advisory issued by the Ottawa County Department of Public Health in a four-month span.
On Monday, the caution was announced for the area of Lloyds Bayou Creek near Spring Lake, between the North Bank Trail and Savidge Street (M-104). This was due to a untreated sewage spill of about 50,000 gallons, reported by Spring Lake Public Works the day before.
The next day, Spring Lake Township officials said that a land bridge along the trail collapsed on Sunday, apparently due to weather-related issues, with falling concrete causing a break in a sanitary sewer line. The ensuing spillage was capped in about four hours time.
Crews are working to pump that water around the area, while county health officials are taking daily samples for testing to determine when the advisory could be lifted. Since it takes between 24 to 48 hours to get such test results back, such a lifting couldn’t be done until Wednesday at the earliest.
The advisory asks the public to avoid any contact with the water there, including swimming, wading, boating activities, or walking, due to possible harmful bacteria and viruses. More information on this matter is available here.
On February 18th and on March 23rd, the OCDPH issued similar no body contact advisories for the Grand River near Allendale over separate sewage discharges into Ottawa Creek, reported by Allendale Township Public Utilities. There were no reports of anyone becoming ill as a result of those two incidents.
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