No Showers, Baths: St. Pete Beach Sewer Emergency Declared

ST. PETE BEACH, FL — St. Pete Beach residents and visitors are being asked to hold off on taking showers or baths, doing laundry or even washing dishes as the city copes with an over-capacity sewer system.

“Due to the intensity and duration of Tropical Storm Colin, the City of St. Pete Beach's sanitary sewer pipe and pump station system is now completely full and cannot accept any additional flow,” Mayor Maria Lowe wrote in an email to media Tuesday afternoon.

With that in mind, the city is asking all residents and businesses to “stop using the sanitary sewer system until further notice.”

The city says that includes taking showers or baths, doing laundry, washing dishes and any other activity that causes water to flow into the sewer systems, such as toilet flushing.

“While we understand that the flushing of toilets is necessary we urge everyone to be cautious and limit use as much as possible,” the email added.

The crisis is expected to last throughout the day and into the early evening hours, Lowe said. An update will be sent out when it is OK for people to use the sewers once more.

Image via Shutterstock

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