FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Crews in Fort Lauderdale are dealing with a new sewer main break on the same pipe that burst and sent raw sewage into the streets a little over a week ago.
7News cameras captured several emergency vehicles at Virginia Young Park, at 1000 SE 9th Ave., early Friday morning.
“This was the same pipe, it was a break just to the north of the Tarpon River,” Fort Lauderdale city official Chaz Adams said.
Crews are working to repair the same pipe that ruptured last week, just in a different area. Residents in the Rio Vista neighborhood are being affected once again.
“We just heard all the beeping and all the paramedics and firefighters and stuff like that,” one resident said.
“It’s crazy,” said a man who lives in the area. “The second one in two weeks. Hopefully, it doesn’t keep going.”
City of Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue officials said the second break is larger than the first.
City officials said the original rupture was contained and when the damaged piece of the pipe was removed and replaced with a new one, that is when the new break occurred. They believe the pressure flow from the sewage caused the new break.
“Once that spill is contained, then the focus can transfer to trying to pinpoint the break and start the repairs, which will hopefully be another bypass line,” Adams said.
City officials knew the pipes needed to be replaced. Money has been allocated for the project, which could take years, but the 54-inch pressurized pipe bursting twice in two weeks is expediting the urgency.
“I’m a resident of Rio Vista. I’m upset. It’s unacceptable,” Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Ben Sorenson said. “Our city has not invested in our infrastructure as they should have for years and years and years.”
Mayor Dean Trantalis warned that it would be a complicated job repairing the pipes because the systems are aging.
“We thought we would be able to complete this in five years,” Trantalis said. “We don’t have five years. We don’t even have a few months.”
Residents in the area are being urged to avoid any standing water they may come across.
7News cameras captured paramedics treating a resident that may have gotten sick from exposure to the raw sewage.
They’re also concerned about the lingering effects of the latest sewer main break.
“The dog goes down to the park every day to go for a run, and now she can’t go for a run anymore, for a while it looks like,” said the second resident.
“I know they’re busting their butt to get it fixed, but it’s wrong,” resident Chip Lafferty said. “I mean, there’s raw sewage everywhere. Look at me — boots, gloves. Look at my driveway!”
As with the last sewer main break, the city sent out words of warning.
“We certainly apologize to all the residents out here,” said Adams. “We’re certainly going to work 24/7 to get this taken care of as quickly as possible and we certainly appreciate the tremendous, tremendous amount of patience and understanding that they’ve shown throughout this whole process. This is untreated sewage, so we certainly want folks to be aware of that, and we want them to avoid direct contact with it.”
Mayor Trantalis said that it will take months and $30 million dollars to get the pipe fixed.
Meanwhile, the sewage has been spewing into the Tarpon River. City officials hope to reroute the sewage to another sewage line to mitigate the amount of sewage spilling into the river.
Several roads in the area are blocked by flood waters and construction vehicles.
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