Sewage didn’t affect wells

Miramar reassures residents after spill

After sewage spilled into a nearby canal last week, residents of Miramar’s Country Club Ranches feared their private wells would be contaminated.

The city on Tuesday reassured them their well water is safe for drinking and bathing. But some residents are conof cerned about long-term effects.

Miramar has been conducting tests on their wells since Sept. 11, when Hurricane Irma uprooted a large oak tree and the roots cracked a sewage main. That sent about 300,000 gallons of raw sewage gushing into the canal and into a few yards.

“It was terrible, we could hardly stand to breathe the air,” said Alfredo Rodriguez, 60. “And when we came out to see what was the cause, there was all this nasty water just flowing down.”

So far, officials have not found any fecal bacteria in any of the wells. They let residents know by posting the results of their tests on homeowners’ mailboxes.

“Of course nothing is going to show up now. We are worried about the long-term,” said Rodriguez, who has lived on the street for almost 25 years.

The crack in the main was repaired two days later, on Sept. 13, city officials said. And a hauling company hired by the city pumped off 312,000 gallons from the canal within 24 hours the spill, said city spokeswoman Natasha Hampton.

Floating booms were deployed to contain the spill and the city placed approximately 700 pounds of chlorine into the canal. City officials say that from a geological perspective it is almost impossible for a spill of that size to contaminate well water.

But what could get worse is an increase in pesky insects.

“The smell is almost gone, but now we have more mosquitoes,” Rodriguez said.