A massive sewage spill near a Florida treatment plant turned one woman’s backyard into a warning sign for a much bigger infrastructure problem. Nearly 450,000 gallons of untreated wastewater escaped near LaBelle, threatening residents and sending pollution toward the Caloosahatchee River.
What happened?
The first sign for Bessie Gregory, a LaBelle resident who lives less than a mile from the LaBelle Water Treatment Plant, was a foul odor coming from the creek behind her home, WINK News reported.
However, this wasn’t just an unpleasant smell — it became a much larger concern when Gregory discovered the source was a major sewage leak. WINK News said a four-inch break on a water main at the plant led to the release, sending untreated sewage into a ditch connected to the Caloosahatchee River.
Gregory said the sewage reached her yard…