A video surfacing on Facebook yesterday of raw sewage overflowing from Islamorada’s North Plantation Key Wastewater pump station sparked concerns from the community.
On Thursday afternoon, the village said the North Plantation Key Transfer Station at MM 90 is undergoing cleaning as required to properly maintain the system and its associated equipment. During the process on Wednesday, one of the pump intake lines became clogged which restricted the flow. The village said staff promptly responded and restored the pump to full operation.
The overflow was immediately stopped and all effluent remained onsite and is being cleaned up as required, the village said.
A cleanup process is expected to take approximately two weeks.
According to the village, the clog in the line was caused by excessive “rags” in the system. These “rags” consist of non-flushable items such as “flushable” wipes, tampons, condoms, paper towels and other debris entering the system.
“We ask for the community’s cooperation in properly disposing of these items to prevent future issues,” the village said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
The village wastewater system includes a vacuum collection system with a vacuum pump station located on Lower Matecumbe Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, south Plantation Key, middle Plantation Key and on Sunshine Boulevard in North Plantation Key. There’s another vacuum pump station and a re-pump station located in North Plantation Key, not far from Plantation Key School and next to newly-constructed Habitat for Humanity homes.
Once collected, all effluent is transmitted via the force main to Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District for treatment and disposal.
In case of a wastewater emergency, residents are asked to call the hotline at 305-359-0813.
