HAYDEN LAKE — A sewage leak reported to the Hayden Lake Recreational Water and Sewer District on Wednesday reached Hayden Lake.

According to a press release issued by the district on Thursday, an estimated 3,500 to 17,000 gallons of raw sewage leaked from a line near 4025 E. Jacobs Ladder Trail.

Dustin Jacobson, the district's field operations superintendent, said the estimate is a wide range because it is unknown when the leak occurred and how long it has existed.

"A caretaker who checks on the home discovered it," Jacobson said, adding the home was unoccupied. "With all the rain we've had and the relatively harsh winter, it wasn't discovered until the ground finally started to dry out."

Jacobson said the leak occurred in a line that serves nine homes, although not all of them are occupied year-round. The leak was caused by a broken rubber coupling.

The sewage flowed down a paved driveway and entered the lake through a storm drain, he said.

The area was disinfected with bleach and washed down.

The leak, which occurred near The Clark House mansion, was immediately reported to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and Environmental Protection Agency.

"At this time, there is no known public health or environmental impacts that will require further action from the HLRWSD," the press release states.