January 18

“The remaining contaminated water is impounded in the Sand Point ponds via two earthen dams in the drainage ditches. Staff checks the earthen dams twice daily.

The contractor is completing the replacement of the water main that was removed during the repair of the sanitary sewer main.

The hauling has continued today with two trucks in operation and the vendor was able to remove 90,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park. To this point the City has removed a total of 2,152,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contract hauler and Staff will continue our daily clean-up efforts until the water quality returns to normal.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds is accelerating the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds. The aeration system in the west pond is now decommissioned due to low water levels from our hauling operation.

Water Quality sampling continues to show improvement. The testing data confirms that the Indian River Lagoon water quality has returned to normal at Sand Point Park and Space View Park. Water contact restrictions remain in place for the three stormwater treatment ponds. Sampling will continue until the water quality returns to normal. A link to the latest water quality sample results is located on the Water Resources Department page of our city’s website.

Staff continues to provide updates and information to our FDOH and FDEP representatives. “

January 17

“The remaining contaminated water is impounded in the Sand Point ponds via two earthen dams in the drainage ditches. Staff checks the earthen dams twice daily.

The contractor is on site replacing the water main that was removed during the repair of the sanitary sewer main.

The hauling has continued today with three trucks in operation and the vendor was able to remove 132,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park. To this point the City has removed a total of 2,062,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contract hauler and Staff will continue our daily clean-up efforts until the water quality returns to normal.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds is accelerating the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds. The aeration system in the west pond is now decommissioned due to low water levels from our hauling operation.

Water Quality sampling continues to show improvement. The testing data confirms that the Indian River Lagoon water quality has returned to normal at Sand Point Park and Space View Park. Water contact restrictions remain in place for the three stormwater treatment ponds. Sampling will continue until the water quality returns to normal. A link to the latest water quality sample results is located on the Water Resources Department page of our city’s website.

Staff continues to provide updates and information to our FDOH and FDEP representatives. “

January 15

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via two earthen dams in the drainage ditches. Staff checks the earthen dams twice daily.

The contractor is on site replacing the water main that was removed during the repair of the sanitary sewer main.

The hauling has continued today with two trucks in operation and the vendor was able to remove 96,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park. To this point the City has removed a total of 1,816,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contract hauler and Staff will continue our daily clean-up efforts until the water quality returns to normal.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds is accelerating the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds. The aeration system in the west pond is now decommissioned due to low water levels from our hauling operation.

Water Quality sampling continues to show improvement. The testing data confirm that the Indian River Lagoon water quality has returned to normal at Sand Point Park and Space View Park. Water contact restrictions remain in place for the three stormwater treatment ponds. Sampling will continue until the water quality returns to normal. A link to the latest water quality sample results is located on the Water Resources Department page of our city’s website.

Staff continues to provide updates and information to our FDOH and FDEP representatives.”

January 14

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the earthen dam twice daily.

The contractor is on site replacing the water main that was removed during the repair of the sanitary sewer main.

The hauling has continued today with two trucks in operation and the vendor was able to remove 90,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park. To this point the City has removed a total of 1,720,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contract hauler and Staff will continue our daily clean-up efforts until the water quality returns to normal.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds is accelerating the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Water Quality sampling continues to show improvement. As the water quality in the east pond in Sand Point Park has improved an earthen dam has been installed between the west pond and east pond to maintain the improved water quality in the east pond. Sampling has begun this week in the west pond. Sampling will continue until the water quality returns to normal. Staff will post the latest water quality sample results onto our city’s website today.

Staff continues to provide updates and information to our FDOH and FDEP representatives.”

January 13

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the earthen dam twice daily.

The contractor is on site replacing the water main that was removed during the repair of the sanitary sewer main.

The hauling has continued today with two trucks in operation and the vendor was able to remove 90,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park. To this point the City has removed a total of 1,630,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contract hauler and Staff will continue clean-up efforts until the water quality returns to normal.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Water Quality sampling continues to show improvement. Staff is in the process of posting the water quality sample results onto our city’s website.

As the water quality in the east pond in Sand Point Park has improved an earthen dam has been installed between the west pond and east pond to maintain the improved water quality in the east pond. Sampling has begun this week in the west pond. Sampling will continue until the water quality returns to normal.”

January 12

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the earthen dam twice daily.

The hauling has continued today with two trucks in operation and the vendor was able to remove 90,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park. To this point the City has removed a total of 1,540,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contract hauler and Staff will continue clean-up efforts until the water quality returns to normal.

Odors are undetectable throughout all affected areas.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Water Quality sampling continues to show improvement. As the water quality in the east pond in Sand Point Park has improved an earthen dam has been installed between the west pond and east pond to maintain the improved water quality in the east pond. Sampling has begun this week in the west pond. Sampling will continue until the water quality returns to normal.”

January 11

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the earthen dam twice daily.

The hauling has continued today with three trucks in operation and the vendor was able to remove 120,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park. To this point the City has removed a total of 1,450,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contract hauler and Staff will continue clean-up efforts until the water quality returns to normal.

Odors are now minimal throughout all affected areas.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Water Quality sampling continues to show improvement. As the water quality in the east pond in Sand Point Park has improved an earthen dam has been installed between the west pond and east pond to maintain the improved water quality in the east pond. Sampling has begun this week in the west pond. Sampling will continue until the water quality returns to normal.”

January 10

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the earthen dam twice daily.

The hauling has resumed today with three trucks in operation. The vendor was able to remove 114,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park. To this point the City has removed a total of 1,330,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contract hauler and Staff will continue clean-up efforts until the water quality returns to normal.

Odors are now minimal throughout all affected areas.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Water quality sampling of each of the three ponds and the Indian River Lagoon will continue until the water quality returns to normal.”

January 9

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the earthen dam twice daily.

The hauling was resumed today with two trucks in operation. The vendor was able to remove 60,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park. To this point the City has removed a total of 1,216,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contract hauler and Staff will continue clean-up efforts until the water quality returns to normal.

Odors are now minimal throughout all affected areas.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Water Quality sampling of each of the three ponds and the Indian River Lagoon will continue until the water quality returns to normal.”

January 8

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the earthen dam twice daily.

The hauler was not be able to provide hauling services on Friday January 8th due to a driver shortage. Normal operations will resume on Saturday January 9th. The contract hauler and Staff will continue clean-up efforts until the water quality returns to normal.

Odors continue to subside at all the affected areas.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Water Quality sampling of each of the three ponds and the Indian River Lagoon will continue until the water quality returns to normal.”

January 7

“The City announced today that a Special City Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 12th, at 5:30pm, in the Council Chambers, where the Water Resources Department will provide an initial report on the Sand Point Park Sewer Spill.

Below is todays update concerning the ongoing cleanup of the sewer leak at Sand Point:

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the earthen dam twice daily.

The City continues to use a vendor to haul the water from the ponds to the wastewater treatment plant. The vendor was able to remove 84,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park. To this point the City has removed a total of 1,156,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment.

The hauler will not be able to provide hauling services on Friday January 8th due to a driver shortage and will resume normal operations on Saturday January 9th. The contract hauler and Staff will continue clean-up efforts until the water quality returns to normal.

Odors continue to subside at all the affected areas.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Water Quality sampling of each of the three ponds and the Indian River Lagoon will continue until the water quality returns to normal.”

January 6

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the earthen dam twice daily.

The City continues to use a vendor to haul the water from the ponds to the wastewater treatment plant. The vendor was able to remove 120,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park.

To this point the City has removed a total of 1,072,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contractor and Staff will continue clean-up efforts until the water quality returns to normal.

Odors continue to subside and are now limited to the downwind bank of the west pond in Sand Point Park.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Water Quality sampling of each of the three ponds and the Indian River Lagoon will continue until the water quality returns to normal.”

January 5

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the earthen dam twice daily.

The City continues to use a vendor to haul the water from the ponds to the wastewater treatment plant. The vendor was able to remove 108,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park.

To this point the City has removed a total of 952,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contractor and Staff will continue clean-up efforts.

Odors continue to subside and are now limited to the downwind bank of the west pond in Sand Point Park.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Water Quality sampling of each of the three ponds and the Indian River Lagoon will continue until the water quality returns to normal.”

January 4

“As Staff continues the clean-up efforts, the investigation/analysis to determine what happened and what can be done to prevent future incidents from occurring is our top priority.

Staff research and analysis will include:

• What: happened.
• Where: the location pipe location and the complexity of repairs to a pipe located 15 feet under a treatment stormwater pond that was encased in concrete.
• When: the time line of Staff actions and projected timeline when the clean-up will be complete.
• Why: What we know now and through our investigation further determine how this leak happened.
• Way ahead: what actions remain – clean up estimates, evaluating the system in order to determine if there are any anomalies such as a force main/water line under locations that are inaccessible, and additional preventative measures that will be put into place to decrease the likelihood of this happening again.

The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point stormwater treatment ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the earthen dam twice daily.

The City continues to use a vendor to haul the water from the ponds to the wastewater treatment plant. The vendor was able to remove 120,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park today. To this point the City has removed a total of 844,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contractor and Staff will continue clean-up efforts for the foreseeable future.

Odors continue to subside and are now limited to the west pond in Sand Point Park.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds.

Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds. As the water levels in the west pond have lowered, after the removal of the water, the aeration systems are bringing in more air producing more foam.

Water Quality sampling of each of the three ponds and the Indian River Lagoon will continue until the water quality returns to normal.”

January 3

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the preventative earthen dam twice daily.

The City continues to use a vendor to haul the water from the ponds to the wastewater treatment plant. The vendor was able to remove 126,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park. To this point the City has removed a total of 724,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contractor and Staff will continue clean-up efforts beyond the New Year’s holiday.

No floating debris was observed in either the Sand Point Park Ponds or Space View Park.

Odors continue to subside and are now limited to the west pond in Sand Point Park.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds. As the water levels in the west pond have lowered, after the removal of the water, the aeration systems are bringing in more air producing more foam.

The aerators will be relocated to deeper areas of the ponds to improve their effectiveness.

Water Quality sampling of each of the three ponds and the Indian River Lagoon will continue until the water quality returns to normal.”

January 2

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the preventative earthen dam twice daily.

The City continues to use a vendor to haul the water from the ponds to the wastewater treatment plant. The vendor was able to remove 90,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park. To this point the City has removed a total of 598,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contractor and Staff will continue clean-up efforts during the New Year’s holiday and beyond.

No floating debris was observed in either the Sand Point Park Ponds or Space View Park. Odors continue to subside and are now limited to the west pond in Sand Point Park.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Water Quality sampling of each of the three ponds and the Indian River Lagoon will continue until the water quality returns to normal.”

January 1 4PM

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the preventative earthen dam twice daily.

The City continues to use a vendor to haul the water from the ponds to the wastewater treatment plant. The vendor was able to remove 150,000 gallons from the west pond in Sand Point Park.

To this point the City has removed a total of 508,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contractor and Staff will continue clean-up efforts during the New Year’s holiday and beyond.

No floating debris was observed in either the Sand Point Park Ponds or Space View Park.

Three aeration systems have been installed in both the Sand Point Park and Space View Park stormwater treatment ponds. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Water Quality sampling of each of the three ponds and the Indian River Lagoon will continue until the water quality returns to normal.

Staff replaced 12 blown down and damaged signs, and added more around the west pond in Sand Point Park.”

December 31 (4 PM)

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the preventative earthen dam twice daily.

The City continues to use a vendor to haul the water from the ponds to the wastewater treatment plant. The vendor was able to remove 54,000 gallons from Space View Park today and then relocated to the west pond in Sand Point Park where 60,000 gallons were removed. To this point the City has removed a total of 358,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contractor and Staff will continue clean-up efforts during the New Year’s holiday and beyond.

No floating debris was observed in either the Sand Point Park Ponds or Space View Park.

Three aeration systems have been installed in the Sand Point Park stormwater treatment ponds. Two more aeration systems were installed in Space View Park today. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Earth work has been completed where the sewer leak repairs were made at the west end of Sand Point Park. Additional signs notifying the public have been installed following the completion of the earth work.

Water Quality sampling of each of the three ponds and the Indian River Lagoon will continue until the water quality returns to normal.

Staff is in the process of replacing the notice signs surrounding the stormwater treatment ponds with a more durable product. Several of our signs get blown away during higher winds”

December 30

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the preventative earthen dam twice daily.

The City has secured a vendor to haul the water from the ponds to the wastewater treatment plant. The vendor was able to remove 108,000 gallons from Space View Park today. To this point the City has removed a total of 244,400 gallons of water and transported it to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. The contractor and Staff will continue clean-up efforts during the New Year’s holiday and beyond.

A small amount of floating debris was removed from both ponds in Sand Point Park Ponds and Space View Park.

The sanitary odors continue to reduce from the affected areas.

Three aeration systems have been installed in the Sand Point Park storm water treatment ponds. Tomorrow two more aeration systems will be installed in Space View Park. Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the storm water treatment ponds.”

“Earth work has been completed where the sewer leak repairs were made at the West end of Sand Point Park. Additional signs notifying the public have been installed following the completion of the earth work.”

December 29

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the preventative earthen dam twice daily.

The City has secured a vendor to haul the water from the ponds to the wastewater treatment plant. The vendor was able to remove 72,000 gallons from Space View Park. The vendor will provide additional trucks in the coming days to speed up the removal process even further. The contractor and Staff will continue clean-up efforts during the New Year’s holiday and beyond.

The sanitary odor has reduced from the west Sand Point pond and is not detected from in the east Sand Point pond aerator.

There is no discharge from this pond system to the lagoon.

No sanitary odors or floatables were detected at the Space View Park basin or its outfall to the IRL today. “

“Department maintenance Staff are nearly complete with building an aeration system with one of our spare blowers and spare air diffusers and will be ready for installation in Sand Point Park on Wednesday 12/29/20.

Staff has also ordered a prefabricated pond aerator for the Space View Park pond. It will be delivered on Thursday and should be installed the same day.

Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds.

Earth works and recovery continue where the sewer leak repairs were made at the West end of Sand Point Park.”

December 28

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch. Staff checks the preventative earthen dam twice daily.

Crew logs indicate the Vac Con removed approximately 25,000 gallons on 12/27/20. The Vac Con was undergoing preventative maintenance today and was not used.

The City has secured a vendor to haul the water from the ponds to the wastewater treatment plant. Starting tomorrow the vendor will be running two 6,000 gallon tanker trucks 10 hours per day pulling water form Space View Park. The contractor and Staff will continue clean-up efforts during the New Year’s holiday and beyond.

The sanitary odor has reduced from the west Sand Point pond and is not detected from in the east Sand Point pond aerator.

There is no discharge from the pond system to the lagoon.

Public Works removed dead fish from Space View Park today and no new dead fish were detected in either pond. No sanitary odors or floatables were detected at the Space View Park basin or its outfall to the IRL today.

Department maintenance Staff are building an aeration system with one of our spare blowers and spare air diffusers and it should be ready for installation in Sand Point Park on Wednesday 12/29/20. Staff has also ordered a prefabricated pond aerator for the Space View Park pond. It will be delivered on Thursday and should be installed the same day.

Aerating the ponds will accelerate the natural cleansing process provided in the stormwater treatment ponds”

December 27

“The bulk of the sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via an earthen dam in the drainage ditch.

Water Resources Vac Con crews are removing sewage-contaminated water from the Sand Point west pond from 0800 to 2000 hours today, and plans the same shifts for tomorrow, 12/28/20. Crew logs indicate the Vac Con removed 22,400 gallons on 12/26/20.

The sanitary odor has reduced from the west Sand Point pond and is not detecte from in the east Sand Point pond aerator 12/27/20. No new dead fish were detected in the Sand Point ponds today. There is no discharge from the pond system to the lagoon.

PW plans to remove dead fish from Space View Park. No sanitary odors or floatables were detected at the Space View Park basin or its outfall to the IRL today.

On Monday Staff will be contacting vendors to move more water more quickly and will be exploring on site treatment options to speed the recovery process.”

December 26

“The sewage spill remains impounded in the Sand Point ponds via a earthen dam in the drainage ditch

Water Resources Vac Con crews are removing sewage-contaminated water from the Sand Point west pond. Crew logs indicate the Vac Con removed 17,000 gallons on 12/25/20.

A sanitary odor continues to emanate from the west Sand Point pond and is not detected from in the east Sand Point Park.

The steady westerly wind is conveying the sanitary odor to portions of the east pond and off site.

No new dead fish were detected in the Sand Point ponds today. Live minnows were seen in the outfall ditch, downstream of the earthen dam.”

December 25

“In addition to the fish removal clean up today, Public Works is planning to deploy a pump at upstream end of Space View Storm Basin later today or early tomorrow.

The pump will discharge to the sanitary sewer. We plan to run the pump one full day (for 24 hours), then stop. That plan is expected to remove the bulk of the sewage from the basin and displace it with “fresh” river water.

Staff has set up a dedicated crew to run the Vac Con equipment at the Sand Point Ponds on a daily basis as required. The vehicles are currently on-site. It looks like our Water Resources team rounded up enough crew volunteers to run the Vac Con during day shift starting today and moving forward, while not impacting our on-call crew for emergency responses.

Field Ops is currently in process of getting our remaining signs from the shop to deploy at Sand Point Park this afternoon.”

December 25

“Crews mobilized earlier today to continue the removal of as much of the water from the Sand Point storm water ponds as possible.

Additionally, Staff is in process of replacing the caution signs around these stormwater ponds that were blown away yesterday during the storm passage.

The removal on the as much of the water from the ponds is an arduous process, but necessary to clean and restore our park.”

December 24
“The dewatering process at the excavation sites progressed through the evening of 12/23/20 and the water levels had receded far enough to start the final repairs and complete the project. At 2200 the lift stations that contribute flow to the area were shut down and valves on either side of the sanitary sewer main leak were closed. This effectively terminated the ongoing sanitary sewer spill.

Cutting of the existing pipe and connection to the new pipe began at 2315. By 0500 on 12/24/20 the new line was completed and valves were opened to send wastewater from the lift stations to the Osprey Water Reclamation Facility. After activation of the new sanitary sewer main all joints and pipe connections were inspected for leaks. No leaks were found and the pipeline was confirmed to be operating properly. The new pipe was then buried and all excavation pits filled in.

Signs have been posted at the ponds notifying our residents of the condition of the water.

Testing will continue at regular intervals until the bacteria levels have returned to normal.

City Staff from multiple Departments and the emergency contractor, Gregori Construction Inc., have worked hand in hand around the clock throughout this event to successfully complete one of the most complex projects this utility has ever faced. The East Pond clean-up is in process.

Without this team centered approach we would not have succeeded. I would like to personally thank everyone that helped our team to resolve this problem.

We will update you as information becomes available.”

December 23

City of Titusville Water Resources Director Sean Stauffer says that City Crews started the dewatering process last night, 12/22, and have removed 4ft of the 10ft of water needed to fix the pipe. As soon as that process is done, the City’s contractor will work to install a new bypass pipe.

Below is the update from the City of Titusville posted today, 12/23/20, concerning the sewer line leak that happened at Sand Point Park last week, where 100’s of dead fish have been seen and since removed.

“On 12/16/20 Water Resources personnel inspected the western stormwater pond in Sand Point Park after the report of a fish kill in the pond. The inspection did not show the typical signs associated with a sewer break. The incoming flowrates to the Osprey Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) were reviewed and they appeared to be in normal ranges for this time of year.

The next day the site was again inspected. Following the removal of the fish an odor remained, but no signs typical of a sewer spill were detected. It was again confirmed that the flows at the Osprey WRF were in normal ranges for this time of year. The stormwater basin upstream of the western pond was inspected and no evidence of sewage dumping into the stormwater system could be found.

The following morning an odor remained, but there were no typical signs associated with a sewer spill. After discussing the matter with City Stormwater personnel no clear cause could be found for the fish kill or the odor. Because a sanitary sewer force main is located under the pond, in an abundance of caution it was decided to expose the force main and confirm whether there was a sanitary sewer leak into the western stormwater pond. The City’s emergency contractor and City forces were mobilized to expose the pipe and confirm its condition.

The emergency contractor constructed the coffer dam, sheet piles, and dewatering, and exposed the top of the sanitary sewer main at a depth of approximately 15 feet below the surface of the western pond. It was visually confirmed that there is a leak in the sanitary sewer pipe. This pipe is covered in a concrete slab approximately 7 feet wide by 3 feet thick and 55 feet in length.

The option of jackhammering the concrete away from the pipe was explored. It was determined that this activity came with too high of a risk of catastrophic failure of the pipe and the uncertainty of whether the leak in the pipe would be properly repaired.

The estimated discharge from the leak is approximately 100,000 gallons and is an ongoing leak at this time. Water quality samples were taken to measure the level of bacteria in the area as well as downstream. Signs were posted at the pond notifying our residents of the condition of the water.

Water quality test results have confirmed the presence of excess bacteria in the both the western and eastern pond in Sand Point Park.

Testing will continue at regular intervals until the bacteria levels have returned to normal.

City Employees have been recovering water from the western pond and pumping it back into the sewer system so that it can be treated at the wastewater plant. This process will continue until the water quality in the pond returns to normal.

As of this morning the contractor has completed the new pipeline for rerouting around the concrete slab and the affected area. The trench boxes have been installed and the excavation areas have been dewatered. The northern connection area has been excavated and the contractor is moving to the southern excavation site. Once the connections are made for the new pipeline, the leaking pipeline will no longer be in service and the discharge will be stopped.

At this time the repair plan remains on track and on schedule.

There remain potentials for delays, but we’re hopeful to be mission complete today.”

December 22

Brevard County crews have been at work replacing a cracked “sanitary force main line”, leaking “domestic wastewater” into a stormwater retention pond at Sand Point Park, closest to US1

all of the pictures below were taken around 3pm on December 22nd

December 19

Below is the Public Notice of Pollution that the City of Titusville filed with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on December 19th

“On 12/19/20 at 0310 following dewatering and exploratory excavation a sanitary sewer leak of domestic wastewater was discovered coming from a force main running from south to north on the eastside of US1.

This force main runs underneath a stormwater pond on the western edge of Sand Point Park at 101 N Washington Ave. in Titusville, FL.

The investigation also revealed the pipe, at the location of the leak, is covered by a 2-foot by 6-foot concrete slab running the length of the pipe.

The location of the leak is at the bottom of the pipe. This concrete slab prohibited the repair of the pipe at that time. The estimated discharge from the leak is approximately 100,000 gallons and is an ongoing leak at this time.

City forces have blocked the discharge from the pond to contain the spill within the stormwater pond. The City is currently obtaining additional materials to complete the repair. Once all materials are received crews will remobilize and complete the repairs.”

December 18

After Local resident captured photos of 100’s of dead fish at Sand Point Park, County and City Officials were out at the park on Thursday accessing the problem and possible reason for the fish kill

Below is the response from the City:

“After the late afternoon fish kill yesterday in the Sand Point pond located on the West end of the park near US 1, in an abundance of caution, our Water Resources Department is going to expose our force main sewer pipe and inspect it for a possible small crack or fracture tonight.

All of our instrumentation pressure reading at our treatment plant indicate that there is not a force main break on this line, nor can we physically see any sewage coming out of the ground at the pond.

If there is an actually break, our treatment plant instrumentation readings would indicate a loss of pressure. This is not the case. However there remains sewer smell in that specific area.

Since there is the smell of sewer in that area, Staff will expose and inspect the force main this afternoon and into the night hours searching for a possible small crack or fracture which may be causing this odor.

We will keep you updated.”