A sewage line break in West Palm Beach is spewing an average of two million gallons per day of wastewater, triggering a health alert from officials. The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County issued a no-swim advisory and recommended avoiding multiple canals and lakes, including popular Lake Clarke and Lake Osborne. Concerns about high levels of bacteria spreading from the break led to the advisory, which also includes a request to avoid pulling water for irrigation from nine waterways, including the C-51 canal between Lake Worth Beach and West Palm Beach.
Other affected waterways include the L-10 and L-9 canals, Grassy Saw Lake, Keller Canal, and the canals between Waterway Drive and West Lake Drive, and between West Lake Drive and Pine Tree Lane. The notice also urged caution at other nearby water bodies connected to those specifically listed, but reassured that drinking water is not affected. Department of Environmental Protection employees, alongside staff from the City of Lake Worth Beach Utilities Department, are working to repair the break that was caused by a private contractor hitting a 36-inch sewage line on April 9.
The spill caused a portion of the ground along Florida Mango Road near Garden Drive to collapse. The DEP, overseeing the efforts to stop the spill, aims to minimize impacts to public health and natural resources. This incident marks the second sewage spill in the area this year
