Nehilah Grand-Pierre
•7/25/2026
LaBelle officials shared updates on the cleanup and testing efforts following a sewage spill last month that released an estimated 450,000 gallons of raw sewage from the city’s waste treatment plant.
Public Works Superintendent Mitchell Wills said the spill occurred on July 7 when a mower struck a pipe at the plant.
"Accidents are going to happen," Wills said.
City officials said a resident in the Fordon Sunset community reported a sewage smell the day after the spill.
Scott Cooper, a LaBelle resident, described the situation.
"I wouldn't describe it as a sewage odor, but it was an off odor, and there's a milky film in the creek and some brown residue, deeper down in the water," Cooper said.
City crews inspected lift stations and manholes for two days before locating and stopping the spill on July 10. Public Works reported that approximately 60,000 gallons of water were removed and returned to the treatment plant, while 6,000 gallons of clean water from hydrants were used to aid the purification process. The dry end of the affected ditch was treated with lime.
"We're still going through the cleanup process," Wills said.
As part of the cleanup, the city is testing the Caloosahatchee River, which has tested positive for fecal matter. Officials confirmed that testing is being conducted by a third-party lab, with more results expected.
