Nearly 127 Million Gallons Of Sewage Spilled In Recent Fort Lauderdale Sewer Main Breaks
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – Nearly 127 million gallons of sewage has overflowed into streets, rivers. and canals in the recent spate of sewer line breaks in Fort Lauderdale.
According to the city website, there were six city sewer main breaks between December 10 through December 30 in the Rio Vista/Hector Park area, Rio Vista Virginia Young Park area, Himmarshee Canal, Victoria Park and Coral Ridge Country Club Estates.
The biggest was in Rio Vista/Virginia Young Park on December 20 when more than 77 million gallons of sewage overflowed from the broken pipe.
In Victoria Park at NE 5 Street and 16 Avenue, a contractor is now on site working on a 16-inch pipe replacement project. The project will entail replacing approximately 4,800 linear feet of cast iron pipe with new 16-inch ductile iron pipe along North Victoria Terrace and NE 5 Street, extending from 625 NE 19 Avenue and ending at 1011 NE 5 Street.
Drivers should be aware of traffic restrictions and detours.
In Rio Vista, crews are still taking part in clean and remediation work in the Virginia Young Park and Hector Park areas.
Both parks remain closed while restoration work continues.
Road closures remain in effect in the area. There is no access east of SE 9 Avenue at the intersections of SE 9 Street, SE 10 Street, South Rio Vista Boulevard, and the north side of Ponce de Leon Drive.
A precautionary advisory for water-related recreational activities remains in effect for the Himmarshee Canal.
The Himmarshee Canal is generally bounded by: Broward Boulevard to the north; the New River to the south; South Federal Highway to the west; and Tarpon Drive to the east. Water-related activities including swimming, fishing, jet-skiing, paddle-boarding, kayaking, and canoeing should be avoided in the Himmarshee Canal.
The city has also put out a safety tips flyer to help residents prevent the potential health hazards posed by the breaks.
If you suffered damage related to the sewage overflow, you may make a claim by contacting Doris Coleman in the city's Risk Management Division at 954-828-5177.