The Department of Ecology analyzed samples from the sewage and determined it most likely came from portable toilets. They found formaldehyde and raw chemicals which would be consistent with that. A large septic tank truck was brought to the pond to clean up a majority of the sewage. But for some, you just wait until foul weather and hope it will break up and decompose. The pond drains into nearby Lake Minard and then feeds into the city's grand canals and then into the bay.
Police suspect that whoever dumped the waste parked at a nearby vacant lot and drove down a road.
It's kind of a chicken way to dump something. It's a little bit different than what we usually handle. Aside from felony charges, the dumper could also face fines from the Department of Ecology. There is also a possibility that the Environmental Protection Agency may get involved with the case. The pond is located in an area where there are a lot of vacation houses and not a lot of people were around at the time of the dumping, Fitts said.