Some Indian Harbor Beach residents cautioned away from sewage-laden canals

INDIAN HARBOR BEACH, Fla. — Cindy McGuire is among the Indian Harbor Beach area residents living near South Patrick and Anchor drives being asked to stay away from neighborhood canals until further notice.

Read: Hurricane Irma aftermath: Raw sewage, flooding problems in Winter Park

The problem: During Hurricane Irma, there was a heavy flow into the Brevard County sewer system, forcing the county to discharge millions of gallons of diluted sewage into the canals, which empty into the Indian River Lagoon.

“It’s not very good for the river. I mean, the lagoon is in bad shape as it is and then to keep dumping all this sewage into it,” said McGuire.

Read: Central Florida cities work to keep raw sewage off the streets after Hurricane Irma

With so much effort and money going into the Indian River Lagoon cleanup efforts, the last thing the county wants are discharges like this—but those officials say it’s the only way to keep the sewage from backing up into people’s homes.

“Is that the only option? That’s not very good for any of us,” said McGuire.

Read: Health department checks Shingle Creek water for sewage, bacteria after Irma flooding

After a roughly 11 million gallon discharge, the sewer system has returned to normal operations.

The county is now looking for ways to lessen the impact of future storms and keep wastewater out of the already fragile Indian River Lagoon.

Read: More than 1 million gallons of sewage diverted into Brevard County pond, canal

“Whether it’s expanding our facility that we have on beachside or whether it’s adding a retention pond, or ponds or even storage tanks. What can we do in the future to prevent the type of overflow during this event?” asked Don Walker, Brevard County spokesman.

Cox Media Group