Jason Andreatta, Assistant Deputy Secretary with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, briefed the council on Sept. 3 about a sequence of wastewater spills in 2024 and their likely environmental effects. Andreatta reviewed the February 2024 350,000-gallon spill and the larger six-day incident later in the year in which roughly 6.1 million gallons of raw sewage were released after a 36-inch force main was struck. Lake Worth Beach staff and contractors isolated and pumped much of the material to treatment, he said.

Andreatta said state experience — including a Fort Lauderdale enforcement case that followed a series of large spills — shows that post-spill environmental assessments rarely find continuous, visible layers of residual raw sewage in sediments but do document water-quality impacts, elevated coliforms and nutrient impacts in the months following. He noted Lake Clark had been impaired for chlorophyll a and nitrogen prior to last year’s spills and told the council that ongoing leaky septic systems are a persistent source of nutrients. He advised that, while sediment removal can help, the town should prioritize converting septic systems to sewer (the “bleeding” analogy) before investing in lake‑bed cleanup to secure longer-term water-quality benefits.

Andreatta said DEP can help identify funding, low-interest loans and watershed assessment resources and pledged to connect town staff and state legislators with DEP program staff. Council members asked about the relative contribution of fertilizer/runoff and whether residents would see rapid improvements after conversions; Andreatta said improvements take time and that upstream runoff also contributes to Lake Clark’s nutrient load.