1.2M Gallons Of Sewage Spilled Into Manatee River: FDEP Notice

BRADENTON, FL — The Bradenton Water Reclamation Facility at 1810 1st Street W. spilled 1.2 million gallons of sewage into the Manatee River on Feb. 28, according to a notice filed by the city with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The facility experienced an “operational failure” just after noon that day, the notice said.

“The filter system had a blockage of the media causing 1.2 million gallons of partially treated wastewater to be bypassed into the Manatee River,” the city wrote.

After the bypass closed just after 5 p.m., staff began sampling the river and cleaning areas affected.

“Normal operation” resumed by Feb. 29 at 6 a.m., according to the notice.

The Suncoast Waterkeeper, an environmental conservation organization based in Sarasota, wrote in a Facebook post Saturday that “no conclusions have been made yet as to the wastewater discharge’s state of disinfection.”

The organization issued a “no swim warning” for the area of the spill.

Patch has reached out to the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County about whether there are any health concerns in the affected area.

In 2022, the city and local environmental groups, including the Suncoast Waterkeeper, settled a Clean Water Act lawsuit. The suit was filed after more than 160 million gallons of partially treated wastewater spilled from the treatment plant into the river over several incidents.

According to the terms of the lawsuit, the city said it would use $8 million in federal stimulus money to make improvements to the facility and would invest at least $220,000 in projects improving local waterways, WUSF reported.

“We are continuously monitoring their compliance with the terms of the settlement agreement which was designed to bring the city back in compliance with the permit and the Clean Water Act,” Suncoast Waterkeeper wrote in its post. “Stipulated penalties will likely be assessed for this and other spills according to the settlement. Penalties will go to the Florida DEP as well as the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.”

Patch has reached out to the city for comments about the wastewater spill and the water testing results.

City Administrator Rob Perry told the Bradenton Herald that upgrades to its wastewater treatment facilities — including $20 million for the wastewater treatment plant and $20 million for the wastewater collection system — will be completed by 2032.

Bradenton officials say those changes are underway and should be finished by 2032. They include $20 million in upgrades to the city’s wastewater treatment plant and another $20 million to overhaul the city’s wastewater collection system, City Administrator Rob Perry said.

“We are trying to fix legacy problems that have plagued the city for quite some time,” he said. “The goal is to have no spills at all.”