Fort Lauderdale says up to half of wastewater flows come from inflow and infiltration; consent‑order work under way

Albert Carbon, Utilities Director, told the City Commission that infiltration and inflow (I&I) are a major stressor on Fort Lauderdale’s wastewater system, and that work under a long‑standing consent order is advancing.

Carbon said, "going into our George T. Lohmeier treatment plant, there's up to 40 to 50% of the flows are from an I and I perspective." He reported that 71 of 76 consent‑order milestones are complete and that the city has lined about 33 miles of pipe, rehabbed 40 manholes, lined nearly 2,500 laterals and made about 300 critical point repairs. Staff have completed roughly 4,400 of 10,000 manhole inspections and have used smoke testing and night flows to locate sources of inflow.

Carbon said staff are negotiating a second amendment to the consent order focused on additional I&I reductions and have identified roughly $130,000,000 in the capital investment plan to continue work. Carbon described ongoing evaluations, point repairs and contracts totaling approximately $30,000,000 for reduction projects to address observed leaks, cracks and inflow at manholes and laterals.

Commissioners asked about completion percentages and timing; Carbon said the current consent‑order schedule has completion milestones by March 2027, and the second amendment will provide a multi‑year implementation window to mitigate remaining I&I.

Staff said they will return with more granular schedules and funding allocations as the evaluation and amendment processes advance.