Environmental Groups Plan To Sue Bradenton Over Sewage Spills In Manatee River

BRADENTON, FL — A group of regional environmental organizations are planning to sue the city of Bradenton for its history sewage spills of sewage spills in the Manatee River and other local waterways, according to a news release from the Suncoast Waterkeeper.

The organizations accuse Bradenton of “serious and ongoing violations of the federal Clean Water Act.”

In the last four years, the city “has repeatedly sent raw and partially treated sewage into the Manatee River, storm drains, streams, neighborhoods, and local waters, including Wares Creek, Palma Sola Creek, and Palma Sola Bay, which flow into lower Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico,” the news release said.

Suncoast Waterkeeper, Our Children’s Earth Foundation, ManaSota-88 and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper have filed a 60-day notice of their intent to sue the city, which is the first step of filing a formal lawsuit in federal court. If no resolution is achieved within that 60-day timeframe, the groups will move forward with the lawsuit, Suncoast Waterkeeper said.

“Bradenton’s sewage woes are unfortunate and follow a familiar pattern of municipalities neglecting critical environmental infrastructure. We hope that Bradenton will follow the path of the other municipalities that we’ve sued and focus their attention of fixing the problems and reducing the sewage pollution that plagues our waterways,” Justin Bloom, founder and Suncoast Waterkeeper board member, said.

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The group said it has successfully filed Clean Water Act municipal sewage enforcement cases that resulted in settlements with St. Petersburg, Gulfport, Sarasota County and Largo.

The organization said the city has dumped millions of raw and partially treated sewage into local waters in recent years.

“Bradenton’s sewage spills pose a serious public health risk in exposing members of the public to sewage-borne pathogens and various toxic pollutants,” Annie Beaman with Our Children’s Earth said. “This pollution also harms aquatic wildlife and degrades fragile ecosystems. The Manatee River cannot take it, and people deserve clean water. It is time for the city to prioritize water quality. If we invest in clean water now, we can avoid much higher costs to people and the environment in the future.”

Patch has contacted the city of Bradenton for comments.