After an epic sewage leak, Fort Lauderdale has a new sewer-South Florida Sun Sentinel

2021-11-24 06:10:19 By : Mr. jack len

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Fort Lauderdale-Fort Lauderdale is finally ready to say goodbye to an old sewer that discharged a record amount of toxic sludge into city streets nearly two years ago.

Mayor Dean Trantalis and other city officials gathered on Thursday to celebrate the completion of a new 7.5-mile sewer, designed to replace the old cast-iron pipes known for epic sewage leaks.

Successive leaks - dumping more than 210 million gallons of untreated sewage into waterways and streets - have brought Fort Lauderdale's long-neglected sewer and water pipe network into the center of attention.

But on Thursday, city officials prepared to end this painful chapter by celebrating a new route costing $65 million.

The new line was completed in July, but was not opened until the end of the ceremony on Thursday.

The new 54-inch pipeline extends north from the George T. Lohmeyer Wastewater Treatment Plant near SE 17th Street to a lifting station in Coral Ridge. Two contractors are working on the project at the same time, one from the north and the other from the south.

"We are grateful to the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Demetrios for providing us with a meeting space," Trantalis said during the ceremony. "This location is very important. On my right are the trees. On the right are the areas where the work of the two contractors involved in this project is connected to the completion of the city's new sewer main."

The mayor praised the quick work of contractors David Mancini & Sons and Murphy Pipeline.

“A project of this scale may take three years to complete, but this project was completed in a record time in 18 months,” he said.

Trantalis also praised the patience of those residents who woke up to find silt on the streets.

"I want to thank all the residents of Fort Lauderdale, especially the residents of Rio Vista, Victoria Park and Coral Ridge, who have been affected by infrastructure failures and construction work related to this project," he said. "We sincerely thank you for your patience, understanding and unwavering support for our city in this challenging time."

The new pipeline will become the city's main pipeline, but the old pipeline — which has been carrying sewage since 1973 — will not completely fail.

It will be relined and used as a backup in case the new production line needs to be repaired.

You can contact Susanna Bryan at sbryan@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4554