Early estimates put this week’s sewage spill in Palm Bay at 3.2 million gallons, after a pipe “installed at an unusual angle” broke way before its time near the city’s sewer plant.
Of that raw sewage, about 2 million gallons have been recovered, according to documents the city filed with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection .
An estimated 1.19 million gallons were released into the environment, the city told DEP. The spill raised concern among residents who reported seeing and smelling it from their homes.
Following repair and containment of the sewer pipe break near 1050 Clearmont Street NE, further investigation showed a 20-foot-long pipe had a 2- to 3-inch crack running the length of the pipe.
Pipe break ‘could not have been reasonably anticipated’
The pipe was expected to last 80-100 years but failed after 37 years, the city said.
“This break could not have been reasonably anticipated,” the city reported to DEP.
Palm Bay does inspections to its collection system monthly, and the most recent inspection of the air release valve was completed two weeks prior. Also, the city monitors pressure data loggers routinely for increased demand, which shows the stress on the sewer system.
“Upon excavation, it was discovered that the pipe had been installed at an unusual angle, which may have contributed to long-term strain and ultimately led to the failure,” city officials wrote to DEP. “Importantly, the issue does not appear to be related to overcapacity in the area, as that portion of the system does not serve a zone currently impacted by growth.”
What happened to cause the sewage spill?
At about 11 p.m. June 8, Palm Bay Utilities staff discovered a break in a sanitary sewer force main at 1050 Clearmont Street NE. Upon discovery, raw sewage was flowing onto Clearmont Street, entering the nearby estuary, wetlands and Turkey Creek.
To ease the discharge onto the roadway and surrounding environment, Palm Bay crews made a berm and dike system around the break site. That redirected the flow into a stormwater pond at 1050 Clearmont Street by about midnight on June 8.
Then staff began pumping and recovering the wastewater using vacuum trucks, which hauled the sewage back to the treatment plant.
The leak was stopped around 8:40 p.m. June 9, via installation of line stops and a bypass. Full restoration of the pipe was completed by 5:30 a.m. on June 10, at which point the sewer system resumed normal operations, city officials reported to DEP.
Cleanup ongoing
On June 10, contractor crews initiated environmental cleanup in Turkey Creek and the surrounding area. This included removal of wastewater, sludge, and debris from stormwater ponds impacted by the spill.
The city also told DEP:
Contact Waymer at (321) 261-5903 or at jwaymer@floridatoday.com. Follow him on X at @JWayEnviro.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Palm Bay blames pipe installed at ‘unusual angle’ for sewage spill
Reporting by Jim Waymer, Florida Today / Florida Today
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