Sanitary sewer systems fail, for myriad reasons. The top culprit is age — many of Florida’s sanitary sewer systems got their start as part of the New Deal, which means they date back to the 1930s. The expected lifespan for a sanitary sewer system (a closed system, at least in an ideal world, as opposed to the storm sewers, which drain to lakes, ponds, bays and bayous — and our beaches) is roughly 50 years. Many of these Depression-era sewer systems haven’t been replaced, meaning cities and counties are in a triage environment, fixing breaks and leaks as they happen. Those breaks and leaks, when properly reported, lead to outrage, and with good reason — we’ve metaphorically shit on our estuaries, beaches and wild areas of Florida enough without literally shitting on them, too.
Did you know Sarasota has had more sewage spills than St. Petersburg, especially in the past month?
How about Tampa? Hillsborough had a 5,000 gallon raw sewage spill on May 25.
The mainstream media has kept a laser focus on St. Petersburg and its “let’s try and make this whole sewage thing work since former Mayor Bill Foster’s administration decided to close the plant” (spoiler alert: that didn’t work). The reality is, though, it’s not only St. Petersburg that has sewage issues; governments and businesses other than St. Petersburg have environmental spills, and they could be in your back yard.
There are a few kinds of spills. Of course, there’s raw sewage, the one we read about the most. But chemical spills also get reported to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection — that’s how we knew Kinder Morgan had a massive (or maybe not; keep reading) fertilizer spill in the latter part of May. You can read these reports yourself, for free, on the FDEP website.
Check out this list of recent spills — they’re not all sewage, and some of them may surprise you.
May 25
Zephyrhills — Yes, the same city where we get all that pricey bottled water — had a small (25 gallon) spill when a construction worker struck a line. 25 gallons isn’t a big deal, unless, you know, it happens in an area where an international water company brags on the quality of the water lying underneath the sewage spill.
Hillsborough — The VanDyke Wastewater Treatment Plant in Odessa had a 5,000 gallon overflow of “raw influent” which, for those of you not hip to sanitary sewage lingo, means “flowing into the plant straight from the shitter and not even treated a little tiny bit.”
May 24
Sarasota — During construction the city accidentally released 3,000 gallons of reclaimed water.
May 23
Hillsborough — Hydraulic fluid from a crane operating at Port Sutton on Hillsborough Bay leaked into the bay, creating a 10’ x15’ sheen of oil on the Bay.
Sarasota — During construction the city accidentally released 2,000 gallons of reclaimed water.
May 19
Sarasota — A force main break along Bee Ridge Road resulted in a 2,400-gallon raw sewage spill.
May 18
Hillsborough — You probably read somewhere there was a two-ton fertilizer spill into Hillsborough Bay. What’s interesting is that the figure is now down to 200 gallons, thanks to “witness interviews.” No word yet on whether those witnesses get a paycheck from Kinder Morgan, the company responsible for the spill.
May 17
Sarasota — 200 gallons of raw sewage spilled at 3700 Taimiami Trail.
May 15
Sarasota — An unknown amount of raw sewage entered Sarasota Bay when a construction worker drilled into a sewer line. Are you kidding us with this, Sarasota?
May 14
Hillsborough — A tractor trailer accident resulted in a 20-gallon diesel spill on I-4 near Plant City.
May 2
St. Petersburg — More than 27,000 gallons of reclaimed water released when a worker hit a pipe; the city contained 90% but the rest flowed into a storm drain that leads to Tampa Bay.
May 1
Zephyrhills — The report to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection doesn’t say exactly how much sewage spilled onto SR 54 near Linda Dr. when a worker hit a pipe, but it does report collecting 22,000 gallons of what was released.
April 29
Sarasota — While clearing a grease blockage along S. Osprey Ave., crews also liberated 80 gallons of raw wastewater, of which they recovered 20 gallons.
April 27
St. Petersburg — A “leak” at the Southwest Water Reclamation Facility put 1,800 gallons of sludge on the ground. Crews recovered 300 gallons.
Also in St. Pete, a spill on the press deck where they print the Tampa Bay Times sent 30 gallons of “solution” into the sanitary sewer. The Times, according to its website, uses soy-based inks, the effects of which on the environment are not known, according to a 2008 study. We’re sure it’s fine; after all, the spill didn’t make the news.
April 26
Hillsborough — A 1,500-gallon raw sludge overflow at the Falkenburg Wastewater Treatment Plant went into a pond.
Total net sewage spilled in the Tampa Bay Area
Sarasota: 7,680 gallons
Hillsborough: 6,500 gallons
St. Petersburg: 28,800 – 24,600 contained/collected= 4,200 gallons
Zephyrhills: 22,025, plus the “unknown” amount – 22,010 contained/collected= 15 gallons
Contact Cathy Salustri here.
This article appears in May 31 – Jun 7, 2018.
