A month after a mowing tractor sent an estimated 450,000 gallons of sewage flowing toward the Caloosahatchee in LaBelle, the sequence of events has come into sharper focus.
It shows the city knew something was wrong about 42 hours before workers found the broken line. It also shows workers found and fixed another problem entirely ― one that may have delayed discovery of the much larger issue.
City officials have taken responsibility for the accident, which comes on the heels of a 2023 consent agreement designed to fix the city’s chronic wastewater problems.
The spill caused levels of fecal bacteria to spike in the river, which is also chronically plagued by pollution.
Although the city’s Superintendent of Public Works, Mitchell Wills, says the break was an accident, he fully expects sanctions from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
“It’s on us,” Wills said. “They won’t write it off. There’ll be a fine.”
Here’s the timeline of events, as reported by the city and state officials:
How did a mower release so much raw sewage?
July 7 ― The leak starts that morning, when a slope-mowing tractor hit a metal sign, driving its post underground and spearing a buried sewage pipe, which begins to leak.
July 8 ― About 6:30 p.m., a Fordson Sunset community resident reports “a sewer smell,” according to the city. Workers investigated and found a lift station without power, which had caused a system backup. Power is restored and the system pumped down.
July 9 ― Staff return to verify that the system appears to be functioning properly. Residents report the sewer smell has returned. Workers inspect lift stations and manholes but report that the system is functioning correctly. The strong smell persists, so staff return and start tracing utility crossings along the drainage ditch.
City workers make an alarming discovery
July 10 ― About 12:30 p.m., workers find liquid bubbling from the ground near a downed sign. The city blocks the ditch/culverts and begins its response.
July 10 ― 2:51 p.m. LaBelle notifies the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
July 10 ― About 4 p.m., DEP’s pollution notice gives this time as the end of the discharge. The broken 4-inch force main is repaired.
During repairs the city says crews vacuumed 8,800 gallons of wastewater/water from the site and over the following days, another 59,400 gallons were recovered, making 68,200 gallons total recovered. The spilled sewage was returned to the wastewater system for treatment and 6,000 gallons of clean hydrant water were used to dilute the spill. The ditch was treated with lime, soil was dug up and third-party water sampling was done, the city says.
What comes after the inspections and the reports?
July 13 ―DEP conducts its site inspection.
July 24 ― City officials say all required DEP reporting has been done and it is awaiting DEP’s final response.
Aug. 6 ― DEP spokesman Chip Turner says once final details are gathered, the department will decide on next steps.
Questions about accidents, negligence
Volunteers with the nonprofit Calusa Waterkeeper have been monitoring the spill and the response.
Questions remain about water sampling, board member Jason Pim said, because the city is supposed to report results to DEP. “We have not seen any data more recent than July 13,” he said.
And another: “Given (the city’s) explanation that a mowing accident caused the spill, one obvious question is how a break could go undetected for several days?” Pim wrote in an email. “If a state-regulated wastewater system can discharge raw sewage into a tributary for multiple days before it’s discovered, what standard does DEP use to determine whether the operator exercised reasonable care? … I think the larger question is this: At what point does an undetected sewage spill become negligence?”
Amy Bennett Williams is a senior reporter for the Naples Daily News and Fort Myers News-Press. Reach her at awilliams@news-press.com.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Before spill found, LaBelle crews chased wrong sewage issue: Exclusive
Reporting by Amy Bennett Williams, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Amy Bennett Williams, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
