FORT LAUDERDALE — A pumping contractor dumped 3,000 gallons of sewage into the city’s stormwater system instead of the sewage system on Friday, sending raw sewage into the lagoon at George English Park.
Both boat ramps are now closed and a no-swim advisory has been issued.
Fort Lauderdale has already hired a contractor to clean up the waterway and adjacent land, said Alan Dodd, director of Public Works.
Commissioner John Herbst learned of Friday’s sewage mishap from the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“It sounds like an unfortunate error,” Herbst said. “It sounds like somebody screwed up. Like one driver made a mistake and dumped it into the wrong system.”
Herbst, the district commissioner for the neighborhood, couldn’t say how much the cost of cleanup might be.
But the city’s taxpayers won’t be paying for it, he said.
“Typically, where a contractor has screwed something up, they are the ones who pay,” Herbst said. “All of these contractors we use are insured. This is negligence. This is why we require our contractors to have insurance.”
The contractor was hired to help repair a sewer pipe that collapsed on Feb. 2, causing a sinkhole along Bayview Drive north of Commercial Boulevard.
The sinkhole was about 20 feet long and 10 feet wide, forcing the closure of Bayview Drive.
A portion of Bayview Drive will remain closed to traffic for a couple more weeks while repairs are made.
A bypass system was set up to direct the sewage flow toward the city’s wastewater treatment plant to keep toilets working for the surrounding neighborhood.
On Friday, a pumping contractor was in the middle of conducting sanitation bypass operations when a worker dumped sewage in the city’s stormwater system, Dodd said.
“Our Public Works team acted swiftly upon discovering the error,” Dodd said. “Regulatory agencies were promptly notified, and our team has placed floating booms at strategic points to contain and mitigate the impact.”
Water samples are being collected and analyzed, Dodd added.
“We understand the gravity of this situation and the potential concerns it may raise,” he said. “This is unacceptable. Rest assured, we are fully committed to resolving this matter promptly and transparently. Regular updates will be provided to keep you informed about our progress and any necessary precautionary measures.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on @Susannah_Bryan