Tallahassee force main leak snarls traffic
City of Tallahassee crews responded to a major wastewater spill after a force main leak at the T.P. Smith Water Reclamation Facility on Capital Circle Northeast. The incident, reported on the morning of October 8, led to about 12,000 gallons of untreated wastewater flowing into two stormwater catch basins. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), crews successfully recovered the wastewater, disinfected the impacted areas and confirmed there were no effects on surface waters. Cleanup efforts recovered a total of 95,000 gallons as repairs to the damaged main continued throughout the day.
The sewer repairs forced the closure of the southbound lane of Capital Circle NE between Care Drive and Capital Medical Boulevard, causing heavy traffic congestion during the evening commute. Additional roadwork and utility repairs on Thomasville Road and Centerville Road further compounded traffic delays across northeast Tallahassee. The wastewater release followed a smaller 1,800-gallon overflow on October 3 in south Tallahassee, marking the second sewage-related incident within a week.
