Major Sewer Discharges In Tampa Bay Spark Health Concerns

In late August, the city of St. Petersburg, FL, began discharging partially treated sewage into Tampa Bay because of heavy rain.

The city reported to the state in early September that an estimated 20 million gallons had been released, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Hurricane Hermine did not help matters, according to Weather.com. After the storm passed it had backed up many of the city’s older sewer systems, which are unable to handle huge storms. In addition to St. Petersburg, other cities had also dumped partially treated water to handle the backup at wastewater treatment plants.

WMNF reported earlier this month that prior to the arrival of Hermine, several cities performed what is known as a “controlled wastewater discharge into Tampa Bay.”

The dumping mimicked that of last summer, when city spills or dumps allowed 31.5 million gallons of partially treated and untreated sewage into Boca Ciega Bay, according to WFLA.

Researcher Suzanne Young told the Tampa Bay Times that there was a strong indication of antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in water samples. Young and her researcher team published a scientific study that examined the presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci  in a 2014 sewage spill in Joe's Creek in Pinellas County, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Young stated that this type of harmful bacteria is not normally seen outside hospital waste. Climate change and rising sea levels makes the spread of such bacteria more likely, Young continued.

However, there is some good news. City Council member Steve Kornell told the Tampa Bay Times that St. Petersburg has been able to allocate $58 million in the coming year's budget for sewer fixes.

Kornell added that the city needs to communicate better and faster to residents,

"We need to do a little better job of getting (information) out quickly and more clearly," he told the Tampa Bay Times.

St. Petersburg public work officials reported to council members that sewage flowing into the Southwest plant had been directed and filtered in order to allow more of a streamline flow, according to the Tampa Bay Times. However, a majority of that sewage was sent to the Albert Whitted sewage plant.

The plant was closed in 2015, which removed nearly 20 percent of the city's sewage capacity.

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