Sewage line break near West Palm Beach fouls canal water that flows to the Lake Worth Lagoon
A canal that feeds into the Lake Worth Lagoon was awash in reeking sewage Tuesday, Feb. 20 after a break in a Village of Palm Springs sewer main near Congress Avenue and Greenbrier Drive.
Village officials said in a statement that people should stay away from water in the L-9 canal, which runs east through the Village of Lake Clarke Shores before intersecting with the C-51 canal and the Lake Worth Lagoon. Water in the L-9 canal could also ultimately find its way to the lagoon going south through the Boynton Canal.
The Palm Beach County Health Department also issued an alert advising that no one swim in the contaminated water and asked that people not use the canal water for irrigation. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Village of Palm Springs are working on testing the water for bacterial contamination and cleaning up the leak.
"Anyone who comes into contact with the water in this area should wash thoroughly, especially before eating or drinking," the alert said. "Children and older adults, as well as people with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to disease, so every precaution should be taken."
Drinking water is not affected by the sewer main break, which village officials said they learned about Tuesday morning.
Lauren Bennett, assistant parks and recreation director for the village, said it's estimated that more than 1,000 gallons of sewage had been leaked through Tuesday afternoon.
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A floating barrier in place to stop debris on the surface of the water was catching a portion of the solid waste from the break, but pieces were still getting through Tuesday, floating down the canal behind homes and businesses.
The South Florida Water Management District closed the flood control structure closest to the sewage leak that empties into the lagoon on Sunday ahead of planned discharges of Lake Okeechobee water through the Boynton Canal.
Kimberly Miller is a veteran journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Sewage line break near West Palm Beach leaves canal fouled
