The Story
Apopka has started a citywide smoke testing program to find where rain and groundwater are getting into its sanitary sewers, according to WKMG News 6. Contractor USSI is working through the Lift Station 17 service area, one of the city's older basins, with testing scheduled on weekdays through October 30.
A crew map shown to News 6 carried more than 40 markers for suspected problems, including broken cleanouts, leaking manholes, residential gutters connected to the sewer and stormwater pipes tied directly into sanitary lines. The crew estimated that about 800,000 gallons per day can enter the system in wet weather, a figure News 6 said it did not verify.
The city plans to test basin by basin across Apopka as part of a five to 10 year strategy and wants to begin some manhole rehabilitation before the end of 2026, News 6 reported. The station linked the effort to an FDEP rule effective June 2023 that requires domestic wastewater permittees to develop collection system action plans.
Source: WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando, ‘Smoke signals’ uncover hidden sewer problems in Apopka; more than 40 locations flagged on crew map, October 28, 2026
The infraTerra Take
Our recommendation for any Florida utility still scoping its collection system action plan: start smoke testing in the oldest, wettest basin, and plan for the private side before the results come back. Apopka's first basin shows why. Broken cleanouts and roof gutters tied into the sewer sit on the property owner's side of the line, and the crews in Apopka do not repair private plumbing.
According to News 6, the FDEP rule in effect since June 2023 generally asks permittees to evaluate at least 25% of their collection systems over five years. That puts many more Florida cities on track to run this same exercise, and they should expect the same split: manholes and mains the utility can fix on its own schedule, plus a list of private defects that need an ordinance, a notice process or a cost share to close. A smoke test map only pays off if there is a plan for the markers that land on private property. Our lateral vs. mainline I&I tool shows why that side of the ledger matters.
For contractors, a basin-by-basin program over five to 10 years points to steady, repeatable work in manhole rehab, point repairs and lining, with scope set by test results rather than one large bid. For Apopka property owners, a missing cleanout cap or a gutter piped into the sewer is a small fix that is worth making before the city comes asking.
What to Watch
- USSI test data due to the city within one to two weeks
- Whether Apopka starts manhole rehabilitation before the end of 2026 and how it funds larger repairs
- How the city handles private-side defects such as cleanouts and gutter connections
