Sewage overflow fouls Cape Coral neighborhood

CAPE CORAL, Fla. Raw sewage could be seen floating down Southwest 28th Street near Chiquita Boulevard after Hurricane Irma.

Nearby residents were overwhelmed with disgust and concern as the smell of urine and feces took over their neighborhood.

“There was toilet paper coming out of the manholes and the smell of raw sewage, you could actually smell it,” said a nearby resident, who wanted to remain anonymous.

The sewage poured out of manholes after lift stations lost power during the hurricane, city officials said. Once the power was restored, the system was overwhelmed with the rain and wastewater, causing some sewer backups.

“It was actually flowing. It was a solid steady flow coming out of at least three man holes that we saw,” the nearby resident said.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection checked on the situation Wednesday afternoon and the area was cleaned with Lyme, city officials said.