WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Authorities said a backup inside a private sewer system caused about 500 gallons of sewage to spill Sunday into a city storm drain in West Palm Beach.
Officials with the city of West Palm Beach said the spill occurred at 401 Executive Center Dr., just west of Clear Lake.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said the spill occurred when a contractor was working to replace a line but ran into some problems.
Records held by the FDEP said the worker "left the job site in poor condition and they were not able to fix the sewer main." This caused the sewer to back up, and the spill hit a storm drain.
Once they were aware of the problem, the city said they responded to the scene and there was "no contamination or adverse impact to the city's water supply." FDEP records indicate the storm drain was also cleaned out by vacuum trucks.
The city of West Palm Beach said the stormwater system in that area is designed to carry the stormwater away from Clear Lake into a runoff canal west of Interstate 95.
At the runoff canal location, out of an abundance of caution, the city said they put up turbidity barriers to contain any possible spill and conducted sample testing on the water for a possible spill.
Officials said all tests were negative for contamination, and tests showed the spill did not enter the city's stormwater supply, and no sewage flowed into the city's lakes.
The city said they properly followed all regulatory protocols, notified appropriate regulatory agencies and the violator will be fined.
