Sewage system can’t handle building boom

The first thing to do when the toilet overflows is to stop flushing.

But in downtown Fort Lauderdale, where the sewage system is on the verge of failing, the city keeps adding more and more toilets.

The sewage system that supports downtown Fort Lauderdale hit capacity two years ago. Since then, the city’s pro-growth commission has approved another 6,300 new housing units, the Sun Sentinel’s Brittany Wallman reports. It’s also agreed to add another 104 hotel rooms and 1 million square feet of office space.

Does rapid growth make continued sense in the face of crumbling infrastructure?

Amid the frenzy to build, build, build, Fort Lauderdale residents are finding sewage in the streets, on private property and in our waterways.

Between June and November, because of pipe breakdowns, city taxpayers spent nearly $12 million to truck sewage from one manhole to another.

In July, because of a pipe break, City Commissioner Robert McKinzie said he saw sewage flowing out of manholes in his northwest Fort Lauderdale district. “The swale had six inches of raw sewage,” he said.

Over the summer, two pipes ruptured and dumped 14 million gallons of raw sewage into city waterways, creating a stench, polluting the water, curbing water recreational activities and drawing a crackdown by the state.

Over the last two years, 21 million gallons of raw sewage have spilled into waterways. Think about that — 21 millions gallons of

in our waterways. Fort Lauderdale leaders say a host of upcoming public works projects should keep the plumbing flowing, even as more and more and more toilets join the system.

But sewage leak after sewage leak creates little confidence.

Any plunger-wieldingdo-it-yourselfer who has waged a losing battle with a clogged toilet knows the city risks an eruption of epic proportion if it keeps cramming waste into an overwhelmed sewage system.

At this rate, the city’s wastewater treatment plant is expected to hit capacity by 2035.

Said Mayor Jack Seiler in November: “The city’s 106 years old, so we’ve got a lot of old pipes.”

Given that, why did the city fail to focus on failing water and sewer pipes when asking taxpayers a year ago to raise the sales tax to pay for infrastructure projects? If you recall, the city’s big-ticket item was a new police station.

Keep in mind that to keep the city’s tax rate steady — and keep staffing, salaries and pensions healthy — the city has diverted nearly $100 million from the water fund into other city expenses.

The Fort Lauderdale City Commission, which supports growth at any cost, needs a course correction.

Given the overload of housing units already approved for construction, it’s time to tap the brakes on new downtown construction. Who wants to buy a swanky condo if you can’t flush the commode?

City consultant Reiss Engineering warned in April that Fort Lauderdale wasn’t spending enough on water and sewer projects — leaving a more than $300-million gap between the work needed and the budget proposed.

City leaders insist that help is on the way. About $69 million in water and sewer improvements are in the works, with plans to borrow $200 million more for repairs, Wallman reported.

Hold on, a moment. Is the city planning to ask taxpayers to fund more borrowing at the same time it’s adding all this high-end property to the tax rolls? How is that even possible?

The plan includes a new water main to divert some of downtown’s sewage, plus a second downtown pumping station to boost capacity. Another plan calls for sealing and lining more aging pipes to boost their lifespan and reduce the risk of sewage spills.

The new emphasis on infrastructure upgrades is good news. But it’s a good bet these repairs will take longer and cost more because of Fort Lauderdale’s nonstop green light to development.

Commissioners should hit the pause button on new development and first lay the groundwork for more flushes to come.