City of LaBelle pinpoints cause of 450K-gallon sewage spill near Caloosahatchee

LABELLE, Fla. (WINK) —The city of LaBelle now knows what caused a massive wastewater spill that released an estimated 450,000 gallons earlier in July.

• SEE ALSO: LaBelle sewage spill latest in string of 8 incidents since 2023

City leaders said the spill was an accident. The pipe was damaged, leading to the release of wastewater.

The spill started after neighbors reported a strong sewage smell earlier in July. Public works crews initially thought a lift station had lost power but later found a broken pipe near the wastewater plant.

Public Works Superintendent Mitchell Wells said that's not what caused it.

"It caused a break," Wells said.

Crews recovered nearly 60,000 gallons of contaminated water, removed several loads of soil and treated the area with lime. The city confirmed some of the wastewater reached the Caloosahatchee River.

Testing shows private drinking water wells were not contaminated.