If you boat, fish or paddle on Lake Wylie, here is one to know about. An estimated 500,000 gallons of sewage overflowed into Little Allison Creek, a stream that feeds the lake, after a York County pump station lost power on the evening of Monday, Oct. 26, according to WSOC and WCNC.

What happened

York County says its Little Allison Creek Pump Station lost power, and the station's backup generator and alarm did not kick in because of a wiring problem, YoCo News reported. The overflow has since stopped. The county notified the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, is repairing the station and is investigating what went wrong. In a statement, the county said it "deeply regret[s] the incident" and apologized for the disruption to the area.

Is the lake safe?

County crews are testing the water near the spill for several days. The safety guidance covers only the immediate area around Little Allison Creek, and no broader advisory has been issued for Lake Wylie, according to WSOC and YoCo News. Until testing wraps up, it makes sense to keep kids and pets out of the water near the creek. The spill site is near Allison Creek Park on the South Carolina side of the lake, The Herald reported.

How big is this?

The Herald counted 33 reported sewage spills in York County over the past four years, totaling 412,835 gallons combined, and said none of them came from York County Utilities. That means this one spill was larger than all of those put together. The largest of the earlier spills was about 180,000 gallons in Rock Hill's Manchester Creek in August of last year.

Lake Wylie runs along the western edge of Steele Creek, and plenty of South Charlotte families use it on weekends. We'll update this story if the county posts test results or lifts its guidance.

More Steele Creek news.

Sources: WSOC; WCNC; YoCo News; The Herald; Charlotte Observer