FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Fed up Fort Lauderdale residents aired their frustrations and ongoing concerns to city leaders at a community meeting aimed at addressing the four sewer line breaks that have occurred in close proximity in just over two weeks.
Sunday afternoon’s gathering was held at Rio Vista Community Church, in the same neighborhood where two of the ruptures took place since Dec. 10.
Area residents did not mince words.
“I’m sorry, but the buck stops with you, sir. It stops with you,” said resident Maxine Streeter as she confronted city leaders.
They were even more blunt when speaking directly to 7News, indicating they are tired of the constant eyesores and standing water.
“I feel disgusted,” said resident Jeff Maggio.
“Constant sludge,” said resident Michael Bush.
“This is horrible,” said Streeter.
They all seemed to agree on one thing.
“Four water main breaks is absolutely unacceptable,” said Maggio.
“For me, I think it’s just the frustration of not having it taken care of over all these years,” said resident Brenda Blume. “I mean, it’s nasty, unsafe, unhealthy.”
One resident said city leaders should take additional measures.
“I really think that you should declare a state of emergency,” he said.
The latest pipe problem took place along the 1600 block of Northeast Fifth Street in Virginia Park, Friday morning.
The other three ruptures occurred in or near the Rio Vista neighborhood:
- Dec. 10: Hector Park, along Ponce de Leon Drive in Rio Vista
- Dec. 20: Virginia Young Park, near SE 10th St. and 9th Ave. in Rio Vista
- Dec. 21: Himmarshee Canal, near SE 2nd St. and 9th Ave. in Beverly Heights and Vista
Each rupture left behind a smelly and murky mess.
“Sludge in the street, sludge in the swales. The water doesn’t drain,” said Bush.
“We the residents should not have to be responsible for this,” said Streeter.
Residents are most concerned with health hazards after millions of gallons of raw sewage were pumped out and are currently contaminating their waterways.
”Right now, people are swimming, fishing and doing recreational activities right in the sewage, right in the canal system,” said Maggio.
As the massive cleanup efforts continues, city leaders assured residents that the work to stop any future big breaks is underway.
“All the four leaks have been contained, and the pipes have been sealed,” said City Commissioner Ben Sorensen. “Now what we’re doing is replacing the pipes that have not been maintained at the standards they should have been. We’re replacing all those pipes with new pipes.”
Officials said it could take at least three months until the pipes are replaced and fully functional. After that, the work to decontaminate soil, sod and dirt will begin.
“I want water quality to be the priority, and then we want to know who is held accountable for the water quality,” said Maggio. “We have to get to the bottom of this. Without priority and accountability, nothing is going to change.”
“It’s years of pipes that have just aged, and now we’re dealing with it,” said Fort Lauderdale City Manager Chris Lagerbloom. “Unfortunately, these breaks have forced us to deal with it, so this frustration that’s in the room, I share.”
An upcoming meeting, led by Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, has been scheduled at City Hall for Jan. 9, beginning at 6 p.m., to discuss sewer spill updates and the goals moving forward.
Sorensen is scheduled to host another informational meeting at Rio Vista Community Church on Jan. 27, also beginning at 6 p.m.
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