A 12″ sewer force main operated by New Port Richey Utilities failed yesterday morning at around 9:30 AM because of age, according to officials. The failure occurred on the side of the pipe along the northern side of Massachusetts Avenue in Magnolia Valley, just outside New Port Richey. City workers responded to the spill and will continue coordinating cleanup today, according to Public Works Director Robert Rivera. “We were able to contain it,” Rivera said. A report, detailed in full below, claims that 105,000 gallons of sewage water was spilled, with the vast majority being cleaned up by crews and the rest being neutralized by an application of lime.

Utilities are required to submit a spill report for breaks of this type to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection within 24 hours of a spill. NewsPortRichey has requested a copy of this report and will publish details when it becomes available.

*UPDATE*: According to a report issued by the City’s Public Works Department, the spill “was contained in the ditch running East and West between Massachusetts Avenue and Dell Road. Some of the spill ended up in a small retention area for the old golf course as well.”  The report says that leak started at 9:30 AM yesterday and was repaired at noon. The report estimates that approximately 105,000 gallons were spilled and claims that 101,200 gallons were cleaned up. The rest was mitigated with the application of lime.

See below for a short video of the cleanup efforts: