Two more sewer pipes have broken in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which makes six pipes that have ruptured in the city in December, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The constant sewer breaks are prompting the city to move quickly on its plans to fix aging water and sewer pipes.
A 2017 consultant’s study confirmed stated the city needed $1.4 billion in improvements over the next 20 years to catch up with past neglect of its water and wastewater systems, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. In 2019, commissioners approved a $200 million bond.
The Victoria Park pipe that ruptured was the same 16-inch one that broke just days earlier, but the new break is east of where it broke before. Vacuum and tanker trucks remove the sewage, and then crews dig around the break area to expose the pipe and assess the extent of the damage, reported city spokesman Chaz Adams.
The Coral Ridge rupture occurred in a 12-inch line, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Sewage didn’t seep out into the street from that break, but the pump stations were shut off overnight to isolate the damaged area and stop the flow.
There was no detectable stench in the Coral Ridge Country Club neighborhood, according to Tim Hernandez, vice president of the community’s Homeowner’s Association.
City Manager Chris Lagerbloom and public works officials met to determine what it’ll take to replace the entire 3,600 foot segment of the Victoria Park pipe, which would prevent the city from having to tackle small repairs along the way.
“I will say that’s gonna be a real interesting discussion right now,” said City Commissioner Steve Glassman. “If we can isolate this pipe and just pump around it while we’re doing a whole emergency full-scale replacement, that’s gonna be the question.”
City officials have not released any information on how much sewage has poured out of the pipes onto streets and into waterways, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The city has scheduled a public update on the city’s overall sewage situation for 6 p.m. Jan. 9 in the commission chambers at City Hall, 100 N. Andrews Ave.
