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Sep 15, 2:40 AM EDT Sewage spills add to misery in hurricane-battered Florida By JOHN FLESHER AP Environmental Writer
AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
Widespread power outages in hurricane-battered Florida are causing another headache: sewage overflows. Local governments have reported more than 100 spills since Irma struck, some involving millions of gallons of wastewater. The outages disable stations that pump wastewater to plants for treatment. About 6 million gallons was released from a plant on Virginia Key near Miami during a seven-hour power interruption overnight Sunday. Officials are warning residents to avoid standing water that may be contaminated. Federal and state teams will help assess damage to drinking water and sewage systems. Many Florida cities have a long history of wastewater spills because of decaying infrastructure and a booming population concentrated in coastal cities. © 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

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