Another Fort Lauderdale Sewage Line Rupture, Poo Water Flowing Into Middle River
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - Raw sewage spewed onto Bayview Drive at George English Park, right across the street from the Galleria Mall, Thursday morning as the city of Fort Lauderdale deals with another sewer line break.
"It smells like a mixture of well, fecal matter and sour eggs," said resident Curtis Park. He lives nearby. He could smell it downwind.
"It reeks, it's awful," he said. "I was on a boat about a mile south of here and we have a north wind today and I could smell it around Las Olas on my way up here."
According to the city, it was a large 42-inch pipe that broke. It's part of the same pipe that ruptured in Rio Vista and the Himmarshee Canal in December. "We've got pumps out tonight," said City Manager Chris Lagerbloom.
"We're going to start to excavate the pipe tonight and we'll have a better idea of how it broke and where it broke."
Complicating things, more sewage is spewing into the Middle River through the storm drain system.
"We're seeing some bubbling over here in the Middle River. That is a stormwater discharge, the sewage is entering the stormwater," said Lagerbloom.
With this line, there is no way to divert the flow or stop it while a repair is done. Lagerbloom said crews are working on a bypass which they hope to have complete and ready to switch over by midnight on Friday when the flow is at the lowest. They hope to have it all switched over by 4 a.m. on Saturday.
Until the sewer pipe is put on the bypass, raw sewage will continue to flow through the storm drain system and into the Middle River. Sewage that crews continue to remove well into Thursday night.
Once the bypass is up and running, crews will work to repair the broken section. They are hoping to have that repair done by late Sunday or early Monday.
Fort Lauderdale has issued a precautionary advisory to avoid water-related recreational activities in the area.
Swimming, fishing, jet-skiing, boating, and other water-related activities should be avoided in water bodies within the following boundaries:
• North: NE 26 Street
• South: Las Olas Boulevard
• West: North Victoria Park Road
• East: Intracoastal Waterway
In addition, the following restrictions will be in effect immediately:
• George English Lake is closed until further notice.
• George English Park Boat Ramp is closed until further notice.
The precautionary advisory will remain in effect until further notice.
