Bridget Bruchalski
•7/17/2026
LABELLE, Fla. (WINK)—WINK News first broke the story on a 450,000-gallon raw sewage spill that reached the Caloosahatchee River earlier this week.
WINK News dug into the city's wastewater history and found a series of previous spills, violations and concerns from state regulators. The city of LaBelle says this latest spill was an isolated incident caused when a pipe was damaged by mowing equipment.
State records show at least eight documented spills or releases since 2023 and at least $12,000 in penalties connected to previous spills and compliance violations. Florida Department of Environmental Protection documents show eight wastewater incidents since 2023, including multiple raw sewage spills and an 87,000-gallon release that lasted about eight days in 2024.
LaBelle neighbors George and Della said they were concerned when they learned about the facility's history. "Gosh, no good," Della said.
"That somebody's not keeping up with the maintenance and the job," she said.
George questioned the scope of the problem. "I think it's too many. Way too many," he said.
"How many spills have they really had that we don't know about?" George said. "They should be responsible enough to check that out more often."
FDEP records also show the city has faced violations over missed project deadlines, reporting issues and facility concerns including cracks, leaks and equipment problems. "They should build a new one if that one's had that many spills, cause something's wrong somewhere," George said.
George said the impact extends beyond one incident. "That affects everybody, not one person. Affects the whole town," he said.
Della called for accountability. "I think they should be fined. I mean, I mean, they're not doing their job or get a new crew in there. I mean, gosh, right?" she said.
The city of LaBelle says this latest incident remains under review by state agencies. City leaders say the damaged pipe has been fully repaired to state standards and no additional repairs or maintenance are needed related to this incident.
