Lake Worth Beach residents say they were left in the dark after sewage spill

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Last Wednesday, a sewer main broke in Lake Worth Beach, causing a big stink.

Viewers have called our newsroom concerned about the leak, dead fish, and the awful smell.

According to Lake Worth Beach officials, an AT&T worker putting in fiber optic cable broke the sewer main.

The gushing sewage caused part of the road to cave in.

The liquid eventually spilled into the canal.

“If they were in hazmat suits there’s a concern,” said Angela Peeper, a resident of Lake Clark Gardens.

Peeper snapped these photos last week after the sewer main break -- fish have gone belly up in the canal behind her home.

“Thursday we had gone out and we can see in the canal the fish trying to come up – there were bubbles, they were trying to come up for air. By Saturday morning, they were floating on top.”

The smell got so bad, that Peeper and her husband left for Cape Canaveral.

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“Depending on how the wind was blowing, I think that on Saturday I think it got to 89 or 90 degrees down by our area so obviously whatever was in the lake was cooking,” she said.

Her neighbors who don’t have anywhere else to stay tell CBS12 News the city isn’t talking to them.

“Right now, I still don’t know what exactly it is,” said Austin Leach.

Lake Worth Beach Utilities Director Sam Heady said his team has distributed hundreds of door hangers in nearby buildings.

“We feel like we did a decent job at least letting everyone know what’s gone on here,” said Heady.

Heady admits it took three days to contain the leak – but he says, that’s fast. Normally, it takes two weeks.

The canal has been dammed between Florida Mango Road and Congress Avenue so it doesn’t spread, and they’re pumping the bad stuff out.

“We’re taking fresh water from the other side of Congress, we’re actually putting it into this water body here that helps bring in fresh water,” explained Heady. “We’ve got a pump here and we’re taking this water that’s being pushed down this canal and we’re putting it right back into the force main and going to the wastewater plant.”

The Department of Environmental Protection is monitoring water quality all over this area and Heady says the sewage should be completely gone by next week.

But that’s too late for Peeper’s relatives who are visiting this weekend.

“I have no idea what I’m getting back to or how bad the smell is,” she said.

Lake Worth Beach told CBS12 News getting the sewer main and road fixed will cost millions.

We asked Sam if AT&T will be paying that bill, and he said they’ll know more when the investigation is complete.