Anderson Township residents and their pets should stay away from Dry Run Creek near SR-32 and 8 Mile Road after a sewage discharge contaminated the waterway, Hamilton County Public Health warned in a health alert issued Tuesday.
The discharge was first discovered June 24, when both HCPH and the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati were notified that heavy creek flows had eroded the banks and damaged sewer infrastructure along that stretch of Dry Run Creek.
MSD has since diverted and stopped the active sewage flow, but the agency is still working on a permanent fix to the damaged infrastructure. No sewage is actively leaking into the creek, according to HCPH, but the warning remains in effect.
What residents should do
HCPH is advising anyone near the creek to:
- Avoid swimming, boating or playing in or near the water
- Avoid letting bare skin contact the water
- Wash hands, clothing and footwear thoroughly after any contact with the area
- Keep pets away from the creek
Craig Davidson, HCPH's assistant health commissioner for environmental health services, said all agencies involved are coordinating on the response and that MSD continues to make capital improvements to the region's sewer system.
HCPH has not confirmed actual contamination levels or released E. coli test results for Dry Run Creek. The agency described the advisory as issued "out of an abundance of caution."
Regional sewer system under pressure
The Dry Run Creek damage was caused by bank erosion that broke sewer infrastructure, not a combined sewer overflow event. But the region's aging system has faced repeated contamination problems during summer storms.
On Saturday, heavy rainfall triggered more than 900 reports of sewer backups and basement flooding across Greater Cincinnati, according to WVXU. MSD Director Diana Christy confirmed Monday that crews were working overtime to complete inspections.
In 2025, alarming levels of human E. coli were found in Cincinnati's Burnet Woods Park, tied to combined sewer overflow events, and elevated E. coli levels prompted a days-long closure of Winton Lake.
What's next
Neither HCPH nor MSD has announced a timeline for completing the permanent repair at Dry Run Creek. Residents near other waterways can monitor conditions through MSD's combined sewer overflow notification map at msdgc.org/programs/cso-notification-program/.
