Fort Lauderdale Residents Say Sewage Main Breaks Are 'Out Of Control'
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Anger brewed at a community meeting in Fort Lauderdale after four sewage main breaks in three weeks.
Residents blamed the city's poor infrastructure and years of neglect on 60-year-old pipes.
"The city is more concerned about development, paving intersections, the beautification than they are of the infrastructure and it's clear that's what's happened, " said Rio Vista resident Michael Bush.
Another woman took the podium and said, "This is out of control!"
In the last few weeks, murky water, sewage laden water have flooded the streets in Rio vista, Beverly Heights and Victoria Park.
Bush said he was shocked when someone came to his home after the leak and asked him to sign a waiver releasing the city from any liability from the sewage leak. He said he's not signing anything.
"I didn't create the problem and for me to release the city from any of their liability negligence or malfeasance or mismanagement, it seems like they're more concerned about themselves and they are of the residents," he said.
City Commissioner Ben Sorensen did not comment on the waiver. Instead, he explained how the city is going to fix the problem.
Over the next five years, he said the city will spend $600-million to replace the aging infrastructure.
"Now what we are planning is a design literally replacing a 6 1/2 mile pipe that goes from Coral Ridge Country Club to the George Lohmeyer plant on 17th Street. That entire length of that pipe is going to be replaced and that's what we're doing across the city," he said.
The largest fix was a 52-inch pipe that broke in two spots in high dollar Rio Vista neighborhood.
Days later, a 48-inch main broke underwater in the Himmarshee Canal.
But with each break, city crews responded quicker than the last.
Trevor Howard who was visiting family in town said, "I think we need to give credit to those men doing that work. They couldn't help the break but they've done a great job in fixing it."
City management said the system is stabilized and functioning but there are still several repairs that need to be made before they start replacing the entire system.
