LaBelle reveals what caused 450,000-gallon wastewater spill, admits neighbors should have been notified

LABELLE, Fla. — City leaders are revealing new details about what caused an estimated 450,000-gallon wastewater spill in LaBelle earlier this month, saying a mowing accident damaged an underground sewer pipe and allowed hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater to escape before crews discovered the problem.

During a Friday afternoon press conference, Public Works Superintendent Mitchell Wills said the incident was not caused by a failure at the city's wastewater treatment plant. Instead, he said a large slope-mowing tractor used to cut grass along a drainage ditch struck a metal utility marker, driving it into a four-inch wastewater pipe and causing it to break.

Wills said the leak was difficult to detect because wastewater was slowly bubbling out of the ground rather than erupting to the surface. By the time crews located the break, the city estimates about 450,000 gallons of wastewater had been released.

The city said crews repaired the damaged pipe, recovered approximately 59,400 gallons of wastewater from the drainage ditch, excavated contaminated soil, applied lime to disinfect the area and flushed the ditch with clean water. Officials also hired an independent laboratory to test water samples and are awaiting final guidance from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

To help prevent another incident, Wills said the city is replacing the metal utility markers involved in the accident with plastic markers that are less likely to puncture underground infrastructure if they're struck by equipment.

The wastewater eventually flowed downstream into the Caloosahatchee River. However, city officials said testing showed the city's drinking water system and nearby private drinking water wells were not contaminated.

For Roger Wilson, who recently moved to LaBelle after spending more than four decades in Fort Lauderdale, the news hit close to home.

"It's the time of our life to relax and enjoy fishing," Wilson told WINK News.

After learning the wastewater reached the Caloosahatchee River, Wilson said he's worried about what it could mean for the area's fish.

"It's concern because a lot of fish could die," he said.

Wilson said he'll feel more reassured once the city's testing is complete.

"You gotta wait for the tests to come back. They can say what they want to say, but the results gotta come in," he said.

Neighbors who live closer to the spill say they experienced the effects long before they knew what was happening.

Talisha Mitchell said she repeatedly noticed a strong sewage odor while spending time outside with her grandson.

"I would come outside on the porch with my grandson, and I would smell like a poopy... sh***y type smell," she said.

Mitchell said no one from the city notified her neighborhood about the spill and believes residents should have been informed immediately so they could make decisions about their families, pets and outdoor activities.

That concern was echoed during Friday's press conference, where Wills acknowledged the city fell short in communicating with nearby residents.

"That falls on me," Wills said. "It doesn't fall on your commissioners, your mayor, your board. It falls on me."

Wills said the city's initial priority was stopping the wastewater release and beginning cleanup efforts, but admitted nearby residents should have been notified sooner.

The city said cleanup efforts are continuing while officials await final guidance from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Although the damaged pipe has been repaired and contaminated water has been removed from the area, city leaders said they will continue monitoring conditions and implementing changes designed to help prevent another wastewater spill in the future.