Unknown amount of wastewater spilled after pipe break in East Naples

Publisher’s Note: This story was modified to remove incorrect information provided by the county about the size of the burst pipe and its condition.

Crews worked around the clock Wednesday night to fix a major break in sewage spillage near the corner of Rattlesnake Hammock Road and Santa Barbara Boulevard in east Naples.

Efforts to locate the break about a quarter of a mile from the South County sewer system continued Thursday afternoon, Collier County spokeswoman Evelyn Longa said.

“The sewer overflow will be diverted to a nearby rainwater retention basin,” said Longa.

Steve Nagy, the county sewer collection manager, reported the disruption to the Florida Department of Environment. That report said the incident started at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

“At this point, the spill is still ongoing and an indefinite amount has been spilled,” the report said. “The emergency service provider is currently on site and will start digging the pipe to be repaired.”

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Longa said it has been difficult to tell how much has been spilled since the water was sent to the retention basin. No sewage reached canals or other waterways, she said.

Crews expect the break to be fixed later today, Longa said, and were able to stop the flow to the pipes around 7 or 8 a.m. Thursday.

“You’re digging around now to see where the break took place,” she said. “It could be a pipe or a fitting. Once it’s dug out, you can see what’s broken.”

Karl Schneider is an environmental reporter. Send tips and comments to [email protected]. Follow @karlstartswithk on Twitter

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