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Sewage spill impacting Sarasota Bay

BRADENTON – A sewage spill originally estimated at 1.2 million gallons on the campus of State College of Florida is impacting Sarasota Bay, according to the Manatee County Utilities Department.

A county contractor, Pospiech Contracting, punctured a 4-inch force main while excavating during a construction project at the intersection of 34th Street West and 60th Avenue West on Tuesday, June 2 around 12:30 p.m., causing the discharge of raw wastewater, according to a report filed by the county with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The spill collected in a retention pond and overflowed into stormwater piping that flows into Sarasota Bay, according to the report.

The discharge was stopped by 6:15 p.m. and efforts began to recover the discharged wastewater; the damaged force main was repaired by 10:30 p.m., the report said.

The amount of combined wastewater and pond water estimated on Friday to have escaped to the bay was 810,000 gallons, but that total will be revised – probably downward – this week as more information becomes available, Strategic Affairs Manager Amy Pilson said.

“We are required to submit a report within 24 hours,” she said, adding that typically the county estimates the number of gallons spilled higher than the actual level that is ultimately calculated.

“It’s hard to calculate how much will get into the bay,” she said. “Of the 1.2 million reported, we got 240,000 gallons and not all the rest got into the bay.

“We’ve gotten everything out of the water that we can,” Pilson said. She added that heavy rains diluted the wastewater and its impacts.

While dilution is helpful, some county lift stations overflow in heavy rain because they are not designed for that much flow, she said. One of two pumps broke during the cleanup.

Water samples were collected from Sarasota Bay and the retention pond for microbiology analysis to evaluate the impact of the spill on the water, according to the county’s report to DEP. Results are expected this week.

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