A wastewater line burst yet again near MM 92 in Tavernier on Sept. 1 as many people were exiting the Keys following the Labor Day weekend.
An alert by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office came in around 5 p.m. regarding the sewer line break. Traffic in the north and south lanes was halted for a time before vehicles were diverted to allow crews the ability to begin repairs. Cars lined the two northbound lanes some 2 miles.
Repairs and road resurfacing took several hours before all highway lanes were reopened by deputies.
It’s the second sewer line burst to occur in Tavernier this year. On May 13, crews descended on a break at MM 92, where smelly, dark water covered the highway’s surface. Repairs began shortly after 5 p.m. and concluded the next morning around 4 a.m.
There was also a break in June 2023 a little further north at MM 92.5.
The recent beaks have occurred on the village of Islamorada’s force main, which sends wastewater to the Key Largo wastewater treatment plant at MM 100.3. Village Manager Rob Cole told Keys Weekly on Sept. 1 that the village has a project that should help with the “hammering” issues at this location. Hammering occurs when there’s a sudden change in pressure.
“The spike in pressure occurs with pumps turning on and off. The proposed project would eliminate pressure spikes by maintaining constant pressure,” Cole told Keys Weekly.
Cole told council members during a Sept. 5 budget hearing that if the investment doesn’t resolve the breaking issues, a larger capital project would be the next course of action.
“Our engineers believe that simply maintaining a constant pressure rather than the light switch on and off is what’s needed,” Cole told council members. “We’re in the middle of continuing to negotiate with the Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District in an effort to implement the project, but the engineers (from KLWTD and the village) have disagreements on whether that equipment can overwhelm the Key Largo Wastewater Treatment Facility.
Cole added the village spoke with wastewater district officials this week in hopes to resolve the disagreement and implement improvements to avoid future pipe ruptures.
