BRADENTON – The Suncoast Waterkeeper organization continues to monitor ongoing sewage discharges and spills that have taken place in Bradenton since Tropical Storm Debby passed through the area in early August.
During and after the storm, the city of Bradenton’s water reclamation facility (WRF) discharged an estimated 25 million gallons of raw and partially treated sewage into the Manatee River. During that same period, the city of Sarasota discharged nearly 18 million gallons of raw and partially treated sewage into Sarasota Bay.
On Aug. 27, the city of Bradenton reported the ongoing discharge of partially treated wastewater into the Manatee River at the water reclamation facility outfall.
On Aug. 30, Suncoast Waterkeeper posted on Facebook a Manatee River advisory that says, “The city of Bradenton Water Reclamation Facility has reported an ongoing bypass of sewage into the Manatee River. At this time, the city has not disclosed the total estimated amount of discharge.
“Suncoast Waterkeeper is issuing a No Swim advisory until further notice. The discharge of sewage can cause health risks due to high bacteria counts and potential pathogens. We will be adding DeSoto Memorial Park, located on the Manatee River, to its weekly water quality testing sites. Please stay out of the waters and stay tuned for updates as we continue to monitor this situation,” the advisory says.
The advisory includes a link to the city of Bradenton’s reportable events webpage that as of Aug. 31 included a dozen sewage-related incidents between Aug. 4-27. See the reports at https://cityofbradenton.com/reportableevents.
On Aug. 29, Suncoast Waterkeeper posted on Facebook its latest water quality test report that identified 11 “Don’t Swim” zones in Manatee and Sarasota counties, including the Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach, the Longboat Key boat ramp and Robinson Preserve in west Bradenton.
According to that Facebook post, “On August 28th, the enterococci (fecal bacteria) survey was conducted during an outgoing tide. The sample at Palma Sola was taken shortly before the horses rode by. The city of Bradenton continues to discharge sewage into the Manatee River, which was occurring while the samples were collected. There was a considerable level of decomposing seagrass at the Longboat Key Boat Ramp.”
That post also included a link to information posted at the Suncoast Waterkeeper website regarding a 2022 lawsuit in which the organization prevailed over the city of Bradenton in a water quality case.
Regarding problems addressed by the 2022 lawsuit, the website says, “For the past five years, the city of Bradenton had illegally bypassed at least 160 million gallons of wastewater away from full treatment before discharging it into the Manatee River. Also, during that timeframe, the city discharged millions more gallons of reclaimed and raw sewage from its aging sewage system, which is plagued by structural deficiencies. The historic lack of investment in our infrastructure harms the health of our communities and waterways.”
Regarding the “win” that resulted from the lawsuit, the Suncoast Waterkeeper website says, “The city of Bradenton has committed to performing $220,000 in oyster restoration in the Manatee River as part of its Supplemental Environmental Project, along with making much-needed upgrades to its wastewater and sewage treatment system. The settlement includes firm deadlines for improvements to the sewage treatment plant, addressing issues in the collection system, an update to capacity management programs and a website providing public information on water quality.”
REPORTABLE EVENTS
In addition to the initial 25 million gallon wastewater discharge, the city of Bradenton’s reportable events include four more sewage-related events dated Aug. 5 and attributed to Hurricane Debby’s impact and heavy rains.
• A hydraulic overload of Lift Station #6 which exceeded the lift station capacity. The manhole at 414 29th St. N.W. overflowed.
• A hydraulic overload of Lift Station #11 that exceeded the lift station capacity. The manhole at 620 11th Ave. E. overflowed.
• A hydraulic overload of Lift Station #21 exceeded the lift station capacity and the manholes at 2709 22nd Ave. W. overflowed.
• A hydraulic overload of Lift Station #18 overrunning the lift station capacity. The manhole at 23rd Street/Eighth Avenue East overflowed until the pumps were able to manage the flows.
The Aug. 14 reportable event references a force main break at Second Avenue and 24th Street East during which more than 1,000 gallons of wastewater and raw sewage spilled onto the roadway, sidewalk and storm drain in that residential area.
The Aug. 23 reportable event pertains to an estimated discharge of more than 1,000 gallons at Lift Station #14, at 1901 17th Ave. W. The report attributes the discharge to a malfunction and power failure.
“The Vac (vacuum) truck was used to wash down and sanitize the area. None of the discharge was recovered into the Vac truck,” according to the Aug. 23 report that also mentions sewage “released into Wares Creek.”
The Aug. 26 reported incident notes that the city of Bradenton’s water reclamation facility violated the state’s allowed discharge limits between Aug. 4-12.
“During the hurricane, the aerators were shut off to try to not overflow the clarifiers. The WRF is still in recovery,” that report says. “This hurricane was a 100-year storm event. An estimated 2.5 billion gallons of rain fell across the city sewer system. An estimated 1.2 billion gallons entered the WRF. The facility is rated to process 9 million gallons/day.”
Regarding preventative action being taken, the report says, “New clarifier currently being built to help process additional volume; however, this would not have helped in this extreme event.”
FDOH TESTING
According to the Florida Department of Health, water quality samples collected on Aug. 26 were listed as “good” at Bayfront Park in Anna Maria, Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach, Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach, the Broadway Beach Access in Longboat Key and the Palma Sola South causeway in west Bradenton.
