Nearly two weeks after up to 10,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into a local lake and park, cleanup has yet to begin, a state official said Monday. The spill, from a manhole plugged with debris on a Fountain Valley School service line, was discovered on Dec. 19 and reported to state health officials the next day by the Widefield Water and Sanitation District, which provides sewer service to the school. It’s unclear how long sewage spewed from the manhole, because it’s located in a grassy area, said Gary Soldano, a field unit manager with the State Department of Public Health and Environment’s Water Quality Control Division. As of Monday, sewage covered a 70-yard swath in Widefield Park south of the school. It was covered with lime, which helps neutralize bacteria, and cordoned off with yellow warning tape — put up by El Paso County officials after state authorities weren’t satisfied with the school’s warning.

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