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211M gallons of sewage spilled into Florida city waterways

Posted at 4:12 PM, Feb 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-17 17:12:15-05

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Fort Lauderdale officials say 211.6 million gallons of sewage has spilled into Fort Lauderdale waterways in the past few months.

The Sun-Sentinel reports that’s enough to fill 320 Olympic-sized pools. The city’s aging sewer pipes broke six times in December and spewed 126.9 million gallons of sewage — ranking as one of South Florida’s biggest spills ever.

The spills fouled the Tarpon River, the Himmarshee Canal and streets in three neighborhoods. Officials also told the state Department of Environmental Protection that 79.3 million gallons spilled into nearby George English Lake over a 10-day period that began on Jan. 30 and ended on Feb. 8.