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Tag: sewage spill

Wastewater dumped into Manatee River

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Environment, Featured, Outdoors.

BRADENTON – Shortly after noon on Feb. 28, the City of Bradenton’s water reclamation facility experienced an operational failure, causing 1.2 million gallons of partially treated wastewater to be discharged into the Manatee River, according to a Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) pollution notice.

The mouth of the Manatee River flows into the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico at the north end of Anna Maria Island.

According to FDEP, the filter system at the facility at 1810 First St. W. had a blockage, causing the bypass of the water into the river. The bypass was closed at 5:10 p.m. and river water sampling was started.

City staff cleaned the areas affected and normal operation resumed, according to FDEP.

A Feb. 29 City of Bradenton Instagram post stated: “City of Bradenton’s Wastewater Treatment Facility faced an operational failure, leading to a 90-minute tank overflow due to blockages. A seized bypass valve was manually reopened, and the surrounding curb and gutter area on 17th Avenue, approximately 200 yards, swiftly returned to normal after cleaning and treatment. The city is investigating the system malfunction and collaborating with environmental agencies on discharge and drainage issues.”

“At a time when cities are working to reduce nitrogen overflow into the waters to curb red tide and algae blooms, this spill of partially treated wastewater is high nitrogen water filled with bacteria entering a public water body,” Suncoast Waterkeeper Executive Director Anney Tyrna said.

In 2022, Suncoast Waterkeeper and other environmental groups sued the City of Bradenton following a prior spill. The settlement stipulated that the city improve the wastewater treatment system.

“The city is working toward improving the infrastructure so this doesn’t happen again,” Tyrna said. “The infrastructure is old and in need of repair. Repairs are long overdue, but it takes time to make these repairs.”

Tyrna said with the latest spill, and based on the 2022 settlement terms of the lawsuit, there may be stipulated penalties due from the city to the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.

Reel Time: Trouble in paradise

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

Have you ever driven down the Gulf beach and seen flags flying on the lifeguard stands? We’ve worked out a system to alert people who use the local beaches of potential hazards. A green flag signifies that all is well, whereas a double red or purple flag alerts people that the water is not safe to swim in.

Unfortunately, there’s no such system to alert people of dangers in our bays. If there were, purple flags would be flying! In just the last two months there’s been a multi-thousand-gallon sewage spill in Manatee County, a potentially multi-million-gallon discharge from a broken sewer line from Longboat Key to the mainland and a persistent lyngbya bloom (a potentially toxic algae) that is becoming explosive in Anna Maria Sound and surrounding waters.

Worst of all, these are just the major insults that are but a part of the larger problem. I’m concerned about these issues because I am a fisherman and have seen the effects of declining water quality on fishing. Sure, water quality is a concern for everyone who lives here, fishes here or visits here. What’s less well understood is the fact that the quality of local waters is directly related to the economic health of the region.

What seems to be missing is an understanding of what we’re leaving for our children and grandchildren, as well as future generations that will follow. While this has been a theme of my columns, it really hit home when I received this letter from 12-year-old Brice Claypoole:

Who wants to swim in sewage water?

By Brice Claypoole

This week we had a sewage leak into Sarasota Bay. Millions of gallons of sewage water leaked out of a pipe going from Longboat Key to the mainland. This isn’t the first time a sewage spill like this has happened and if we don’t change things, it won’t be the last.

So why is this such a big deal? Well, for starters, who wants to swim in sewage water? Personally, I don’t. But that’s not the only reason this is so concerning. The nutrients from sewage spills can fuel harmful algal blooms, like red tide. In 2017 and 2018, hundreds of marine animals died and millions of dollars were lost in areas like tourism and fishing because of red tide. So, the problem is that millions of gallons of sewage is a lot of red tide and bacteria fuel.

Being a kid, I have another reason to be concerned: I love this island and I love the bay. They’re my home. In 40 years, I want to be able to take my kids out into the bay and have dolphins jump by and find giant whelks and watch roseate spoonbills on mangrove islands. There’s nothing we can do about this sewage spill now. All we can do is hope nothing happens, but I fear this will not be the case; I fear fish will die and people in the area will not be able to swim for a while. We can and must stop sewage spills from happening in the future. More spills will certainly happen if we do nothing.

The pipe that leaked was 50 years old; it should have been replaced years ago, before this happened. We need to tell town and state officials that we want old pipes upgraded. We need to tell them that we are upset about this and disappointed that they did not take steps to stop this from happening. And those of you who can vote need to vote for people that will protect our environment. We need to do all these things to protect our amazing bay and all its beautiful inhabitants (spoonbills, dolphins, herons and more) forever.

Sewage spills threaten our fishery

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

In this column, I express my love of fishing and the outdoors. Through these articles, I have the opportunity to share that passion with a wider audience.

Reel Time
The site of last week’s sewage spill approximately one mile from Sarasota Bay. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

My aim is to disseminate the information I’ve gleaned from years on the water to help readers have a more rewarding experience and introduce them to some of the guides and organizations that support the resource we cherish. As I’ve mentioned before, I feel an obligation to address issues that will affect fishing for this and future generations. Water quality is, I believe, far and away the most pressing issue today. You’ve read in this column about the efforts of Sarasota Bay Watch to educate the public about clean waters with restocking efforts (one million clams in 2020), the Florida Coastal Conservation Association’s (CCA) decades-long mission to protect our coastal fisheries and Suncoast Waterkeeper’s efforts to hold municipalities accountable for provisions of The Clean Water Act. Recent negative impacts to Sarasota Bay – and therefore our fishing future – loom large. If we are to make sure our children and future generations have the opportunities we’ve had, we’ll need to address them now.  Recent events demonstrate the issue.

On June 2, a Manatee County contractor, Pospiech Contracting, punctured a 4-inch force main sewage pipe at the intersection of 34th Street West and 60th Avenue West in Bradenton. The damage resulted in the release of an estimated 1.2 million gallons of untreated sewage near the campus of State College of Florida. The initial estimates (generally high) showed that as many as 810,000 gallons may have reached Sarasota Bay, according to the Manatee County Utilities Department.

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

The sewage flowed from the rupture from approximately 12:30 p.m. until it was stopped at 6:15 p.m., when efforts began to recover the discharged wastewater. The damaged force main was reported to have been repaired by 10:30 p.m. The county is required to submit a report to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection within 24 hours, and typically the county estimates the number of gallons spilled higher than the actual level that is ultimately calculated. Officials believe that 240,000 gallons were recovered and estimated that not all of the balance reached the bay.

While researching for this article I visited the DEP’s Pollution Notice Portal where four notices were posted from Manatee County on June 7, 2020. The notices all credited the excessive rainfall with contributing to the releases of untreated or partially treated wastewater, at least one of which reached the Manatee River. These releases, often attributed to excessive flooding, are not inevitable but result from a myriad of issues including aging infrastructure which can be exacerbated by what we put down our drains. Large sanitary wipes and grease, including fats and oils, all contribute to the problem.

Reel Time

Sewage spill impacting Sarasota Bay

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Community News, Health, Manatee County.

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.

Sewage spill

Palma Sola Bay water advisory posted

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Environment, Featured, Outdoors.

Updated Dec. 22, 2017 – This advisory has been lifted except for Palma Sola Creek as of Dec. 22; the bay is safe for water activities, according to the Florida Department of Health.

BRADENTON – The Florida Department of Health’s Manatee County office has issued a “No Skin Contact” advisory for Palma Sola Bay due to a sewage spill on Monday, Dec. 11 at 66th Street West and Cortez Road.

The advisory indicates that water contact, including swimming, fishing, kayaking and paddleboarding, may pose an increased risk of infectious diseases.

The advisory will be in effect until testing ensures the water meets Environmental Protection Agency safety guidelines, DOH-Manatee Communications Director Tom Iovino said.

Palma Sola Bay water tested “good” on Dec. 11, however, pollutants could have spread to the bay since then, necessitating the precautionary warning, he said.

A Code Red call will be made to surrounding property owners beginning Friday, Dec. 15, Iovino said.

Warning signs also have been placed along Palma Sola Boulevard and will remain until water sampling results indicate the water is safe, said Amy Pilson, the public affairs liaison for the Manatee County Utilities Department. Water samples are analyzed for enteric bacteria (enterococci) which can cause human disease, infections or rashes.

The force main break that caused the spill was repaired by Thursday morning, stopping the sewage overflow, Pilson said, adding that trucks began collecting the overflow and returning it back to the system Thursday.

Crews are working to restore the intersection to normal use; a lane closure is in effect until then.

For more information about the spill, call Manatee County Utilities at 941-792-8811 ext. 5268 or 5345 Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.