MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. -- According to Brevard County officials, a contractor mistake caused a punctured sewer line at The Sanctuary subdivision in Melbourne Beach.
It caused about 2,000 gallons of sewage to go down the storm drains, ending up at a nearby retention pond.
- Contractor mistake causes sewage leak into storm drains
- Brevard official admits pipes in area are old
- Possible plan: upgrade pipes funded by user fees
- LINK: View pollution notices in your area
The incident happened Monday afternoon around 2:30 p.m. The lift stations were turned off while crews made the repair.
“Just because someone drilled a hole into the pipe does not mean it’s a pipe failure,” Brevard County communications director Don Walker said.
Even though this most recent sewer leak wasn’t caused by a pipe failure, he does admit, the pipes are old -- they’ve been beachside since 1986.
“There is aging infrastructures, when they are underground you don’t see the problem, it easy to lose sight,” Walker said.
Here’s what’s being done: The long-term plan is to upgrade the pipes funded by user fees. According to Walker, the plan will cause rate increases in the coming years.
“(It’s a) $135 million infrastructure 10-year plan; we are doing a lot of work beachside,” he said.
The system, as it currently stands, Walker explained, is big enough to accommodate the beachside population. But in the future, they will have to expand that system.
To view pollution notices in your area, go to floridadep.gov/pollutionnotice.