Developing Story: Sewer line break closes major intersection for the third day

For a third straight day, a sewer line break has led to the closure of the Ponkan and Vick Road intersection, causing disruptions to traffic and local businesses in the area. 

A combination of factors is the likely culprit of the break, including the corrosion of underground pipes due to aging infrastructure and increased pressure on the sewer system from the growing population in the area.

It's a subject that drew attention from a local social media site.

The Apopka Critic, who has over 10,000 followers on its Facebook page, recalled a conversation between the Apopka City Council and Wastewater Services Manager Glenn Brooks in 2021.

"This type of break could happen anytime with the aging sewer and water piping system the City has," Brooks said, after a similar pipe break near Lake Apopka on Binion Road in 2021, according to the Apopka Critic's page. 

Brooks recommended in a presentation that the City start allocating more funding for a replacement program for the hundreds of miles of city wastewater lines under the ground. 

The day before, the Critic was even more critical.

"Major sewer line break causing problems for north Apopka area," he posted. "A break in a sewer line kept city workers busy all night and still today with backup issues. One resident on Rock Hill Loop in Rock Springs Ridge took photos of sewer runoff coming out of the manhole cover last night. Today, a nasty stench has spread throughout the area. The City has hired private companies to assist in pumping off nearby lift stations all day. Sources report that the damaged sewer line was old and broke during repair efforts. We talk about the failing infrastructure all the time. Now the City wants to allow six thousand more homes in the north Kelly Park area ??"

According to Commissioner Alexander Smith, the City's efforts are ongoing.

"The City Administrator is keeping us up to date on the progress of the repair," Smith said in a text message to The Apopka Voice. "I stopped by the site this morning, and the employees from Public Works were hard at work getting the repair done as efficiently and quickly as possible." 

Editor's Note: According to the City website, Ponkan Road reopened at 6 PM on Wednesday. Vick Road remained closed at the time of publication.

For updates from the City, go here.