Environmental Intersection by George Lindemann

"The amount of fish in the water is almost nonexistent," said Dale Miller, who lives in the 2700 block of Scott Street. "We're seeing some minnows coming back, which is good, but we would see snook and mullet and oscars, and they're not there anymore."

The city has spent $938,000 on clean-up and repairs since the Nov. 16 catastrophe contaminated the canal and inundated the residential neighborhood south of Taft Street with rancid spillage and mucky sludge.

Monthly water tests and the return of wildlife indicate a healthy ecosystem, city officials say.

But residents whose backyards overlook the canal say wildlife has been drastically depleted. Manatee sightings, which used to be common, are few and far between. Yet to return are the snook, tarpon, bass and mullet. And swimming is no longer a carefree option.

"[State environmental officials] told us that really within a relatively short amount of time the canal would bounce back, and that is certainly what we've seen," city spokeswoman Raelin Storey said. "Literally, within weeks we saw manatees in the canal, we saw wildlife returning to the canal, we saw birds in the canal, we saw fish in the canal, and so we know that the water quality in the canal has rebounded."

Monthly water-quality test results "indicate no impact in the overall water quality as a result of the spill," Storey said.

The state Department of Environmental Protection is still determining how much it will fine the city for re-routing the sewage into the canal, spokeswoman Cristina Llorens said.

"We had a great little oasis of nature here and it just hasn't been the same," said Michael Medlin, of the 1300 block of North 30th Court. "Hundreds and hundreds of fish were living under my dock, they all died off and have only been replaced by minnows, and I've seen a fraction of the number of manatees that we used to see on a regular basis."

For nearly three days raw sewage spilled into the middle of Taft Street after a 48-inch sewer main ruptured in the middle of the busy east-west thoroughfare.

The pipe ruptured after construction workers held back flows overnight while connecting a new sewer line into the Taft Street pipe, which normally transfers 10 million to 15 million gallons of untreated sewage a day to the Southern Regional Wastewater Treatment plant at the east end of Taft Street.

"The work was not able to be completed in the overnight hours as they anticipated and they were late in opening the line, so when all the morning flows started there was a tremendous amount of pressure in the line and then we had the rupture," Storey said.

City officials say the city had no choice but to divert the sewage into the canal to prevent flooding in the homes on North 31st Road.

In a Feb. 14 memo to city commissioners, Assistant City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark suggested holding the contractor, GlobeTec Construction LLC, responsible.

"The city took the stance of remediating as quickly as possible with the intentions of filing claims against the contractor's insurance," she wrote. "The City Attorney's Office is fully prepared to file suit should that course of action become necessary."

The city now is awaiting the results of a claim GlobeTec has submitted to its insurance company, Storey said. GlobeTec did not respond to two telephone message left at its Deerfield Beach office.

The city now is about midway through an estimated two-month project to strengthen the ruptured pipe. By inserting 1,300 feet of lining into the pipe, the city hopes to safeguard against any future breaks in other sections of the pipe that may have been weakened when pressure built up before the rupture.

While the work is under way, drivers should expect intermittent lane closures and narrowed lanes when traveling on Taft Street from the railroad tracks west of Interstate 95 to North 31st Road. The project should be completed in July, Storey said.

In the aftermath of the spill, the city hired a contractor to clean the canal and the yards of two dozen flooded homes. The contractor pressure-washed lawns, fences, driveways and sidewalks with disinfectant. They scrubbed and tested the water as required by the state DEP and took soil samples. They installed nine aerating pumps along the canal to pump oxygen to the bottom of the water and speed up the breakdown of fecal matter.

So far, the costs tally up to $938,000, including hotel rooms for displaced residents, clean up of the pool at the YMCA, canal remediation and aeration, and pipeline and street repairs.

"It's a terrible environmental disaster that never should have happened, but once it did, the city's response was quick … I give them credit," said Medlin, of North 30th Court. "Nevertheless, when the canal was like the most important factor in choosing to purchase this home, and feeling like something really important and special had been taken from you, it's a bit disconcerting."

Steve Shepard, of the 2600 block of Scott Street, continues to view the canal with suspicion. He wishes the city would have done more to cleanse the sediment on the bottom of the canal.

Although he's noticed blue crab and shrimp life emerging, he's troubled by the absence of snook and tarpon and he no longer allows his three children and golden retriever to swim in the water, he said.

"We're not going to touch the canal at all," Shepard said. "Pissed off, that's the best word I can use to express my emotion. I feel slighted. I couldn't believe a word that came out of anyone's mouth and the proof is in the water."

tealanez@tribune.com or 954-356-4542

Cost breakdown

Hollywood so far has spent $938,000 related to the sewer-main rupture. Here's the break down of approximate costs:

Impacted homeowners along North 31^st Road (includes hotels, per diem, sod removal and replacement of sheds and contents):$24,000

Greater Hollywood YMCA Center:$115,000

Federation Plaza:$600

Rotary Park:$43,000

Land and Canal Remediation:$422,000

Canal Aeration:$100,000

Consultant:$17,000

Police and PRCA Overtime:$25,000

Force Main and Street Repair:$193,000

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