Lakeland finds source of foul odor in city's southwest. Now cleanup begins

Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger
·2 min read
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Lakeland has identified a 12-inch wastewater force main break in remote wetlands, in the area circled on the map above, that is believed to be the source of the foul odor in the city's Southwest.
Lakeland has identified a 12-inch wastewater force main break in remote wetlands, in the area circled on the map above, that is believed to be the source of the foul odor in the city's Southwest.

LAKELAND — After more than a month of hunting, Lakeland officials have identified the source of a foul odor reported by Southwest residents. Now it's got a messy cleanup ahead.

Lakeland's Wastewater Management Division identified a wastewater force main break in remote wetlands about 1,500 feet northeast of 5001 Gateway Boulevard. The area sits east of industrial complexes along County Line Road and west of the Polk Parkway.

The 12-inch force main primarily is used to serve the city's industrial customers in the immediate area, according to a city statement. The spill appears to be contained within roughly 100 acres of city-owned wetlands.

Russ Delaney, a Carillon Lakes resident, previously told The Ledger he began smelling a sulfuric, natural gas-like odor floating through his neighborhood in the fall. Since early March, it has become stronger and more consistently wafting down his street.

"I'm relieved. I thought we'd never find out," he said. "I feared we'd have to deal with this for years."

The hunt for the odor

Delaney wrote an email to city commissioners on April 7 reporting the unbearable odor coming from northwest of Carillon Lakes. City Manager Shawn Sherrouse publicly reported there was a multi-agency hunt for the source.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection sent drones out to conduct an aerial search for the potential cause and identified the possible force main break, according to city spokesperson Kevin Cook. The FDEP alerted city staff to its findings, Cook said, which then mobilized heavy equipment to get through brush and gain access to the area.

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The city does not have an exact estimate of how much wastewater has been released into the wetlands, according to a public notice of pollution it filed with FDEP about 1 p.m. Monday. It does estimate the amount is in excess of 1,000 gallons.

The fix

The city has hired an emergency contractor to install a line stop. The plan is for the contractor to place approximately 4,000 feet of bypass line to reroute the wastewater by Wednesday evening.

Lakeland will continue working with the FDEP, Florida Department of Health and other agencies on the spill and any remediation efforts that might be required, according to a statement.

"I think people in our community will have their faith restored as we got an immediate response from the city commissioners," Delaney said. "I'm impressed."

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on X @SaraWalshFl.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland says a broken wastewater line caused a foul odor in southwest