More than 211 million gallons of sewage has spilled into the waterways and streets of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, killing fish, seeping into houses and prompting the city’s mayor to plead for state and federal assistance.
In one of Florida’s biggest spills ever, the sewage, which is enough to fill 320 Olympic-sized pools, began spilling in December, when aging sewer pipes in the city broke six times, releasing 126.9 million gallons of toxic sewage. The waste poured into streets in three neighborhoods, plus the Tarpon River and Himmarshee Canal.
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Then, during ten days at the end of January and beginning of February, another 79.3 million gallons spilled, this time into George English Lake. Another 5.4 million gallons flooded streets near George English Park, across from a popular mall. Fort Lauderdale fisherman Jeff Maggio told the Sun-Sentinel:
“All the fish are dead there. Everything’s just gone. Crabs, oysters, barnacles and plankton. Crews have been out there picking up hundreds of fish out of the water so it doesn’t look like holy hell. Manatees are swimming in that poison.”
The sewage system in Fort Lauderdale was constructed more than fifty years ago. Leaks beginning in 2014 led to a state mandate requiring the city to start improvements immediately and fix the system by 2026.
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The city is racing to clean up the 211.6 million gallons of toxic sewage, but Mayor Dean Trantalis fears the efforts will not be enough and plans to discuss a request for federal and state aid reconstructing the sewage system at a city commission meeting on Tuesday. He said:
“There’s no way anyone could have taken care of every single aspect overnight. It’s going to take years to do it.”
The sewage leaks come amid another crisis hitting Fort Lauderdale’s pipes. In recent weeks, a series of water main breaks have required residents to boil their tap water before using it.
