Sewage concerns after Fort Lauderdale main break
MIAMI - CBS News Miami was on the scene as crews in Fort Lauderdale cleaned and repaired a mainline on SE 8th Avenue that broke overnight.
"This particular pipe had been in the ground since 1983," said Dr. Nancy Gassman, the city's Assistant Public Works Director.
She showed us that some sewage from the mainline break flowed into a storm drain through an outflow into Himmarshee Canal.
"It's a short canal," said Dr. Gassman. "It gets impacted very easily by small events."
The city quickly fixed the break and then put up signs around the canal, warning residents to avoid direct contact with the water.
"We will be testing every day," mentioned Dr. Gassman.
The restriction will remain until the water quality testing meets state safety standards.
Gassman mentions that the city invests hundreds of millions of dollars to improve waterways and infrastructure throughout Fort Lauderdale, including enhancing the water quality at this canal.
"This is the Venice of America; our waterways are very important to us," emphasized Dr. Gassman. "We can look at all of the pipes that we have on the ground and say, and prioritize which ones we want to replace, either based on age or condition."
Less than a half mile away on Las Olas Blvd, city crews vacuumed and cleared a drain with ponding water, sitting outside a restaurant since Wednesday's rainfall.
The noise bothered a customer, who left, while we were talking with the restaurant manager.
Wednesday's afternoon showers, flooding the street outside his restaurant, deterred even more customers from their doors.
"Las Olas is known for great restaurants and things to do here," said John Lunghi, B Squared Burgers + Booze manager. "When people can't even walk the sidewalk, the sidewalk right here gets totally flooded, and they have to walk around, and sometimes it comes right up to the front doors."
Dr. Gassman mentions the drain backup was most likely tied to April's flooding event.
"It pushed a lot of debris into our stormwater system, and there are blockages that we aren't aware of yet," said Dr. Gassman.
Gassman left our interview and went to the restaurant to ensure the drain was clear of debris, which we're told it was. Lunghi was thankful for that.
Dr. Gassman says anybody with water ponding following a significant rain event should call the city's 24/7 customer service center: 954-828-8000.