Utilities Face Fallout From Hurricane Matthew

When Hurricane Matthew blew through the Southeast — prompting evacuations and leaving wreckage in its path — it also created deep challenges for water utilities.

The U.S. death toll from the hurricane rose to 33 this week, according to The Guardian, and some areas saw record levels of flooding, setting the stage for what will be a long recovery in many towns.

Water utilities reckoned with the storm in a number of ways before it began, and will continue to address the fallout in the coming weeks as stormwater and infrastructure challenges remain.

Sewage spills are one of the most significant consequences of the storm for municipalities. “Utilities are in the process of assessing and correcting damage to the region’s infrastructure after Hurricane Matthew,” WJCT reported. “In addition to lingering power outages and debris-covered roads, officials are also dealing with millions of gallons of toxic sewage.”

An official from St. Johns County Utility in Florida told WJCT that information is still limited about the extent of the damage.

“We were inundated in some areas with six to eight feet of storm surge and we have incidences of sanitary sewer overflows, where they’re backing up,” spokesman Tony Cubbedge said. “We’re still working in the field right now to document those and to get all the power restored to the lift stations.”

Officials at JEA, a water and sewer provider in Jacksonville, FL, told WJCT that at least 6 million gallons of sewage and stormwater overflowed in the city. “The area hit worst was a surface water spill of close to 3 million gallons in the Ortega River, followed by a million gallon overflow,” the report said.

Ratepayers in Stuart, FL, received a boil-water notice after the storm. “It's the only Treasure Coast area under a boil-water alert following Hurricane Matthew,” TCPalm reported.

Many residents have been urged to conserve water in the aftermath of the storm. In Virginia Beach, “flooding and power outages had stressed the sewer system so much that city officials were asking residents to cut back on unnecessary water use. Toilet flushing, dish and clothes washing should be limited until service was fully restored,” The Virginian-Pilot reported.

Utilities began their emergency responses before the storm even began. St. Johns County, FL, for instance, suspended water service ahead of the storm. The water outage went into effect last week, according to First Coast News. The suspension aimed “to ensure integrity of the water and wastewater systems serving St. Johns County ahead of the catastrophic damage expected from Hurricane Matthew,” the report said.

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