Partially Treated Wastewater Released Into Tampa Bay

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — St. Petersburg and several other local government began releasing partially treated wastewater into Tampa Bay Tuesday afternoon to address system overload issues reported in Pinellas County.

“Due to Tropical Storm Colin and the inundation of our system from processing wastewater for St. Pete Beach, Gulfport, and Treasure Island, the city has been authorized to discharge partially treated wastewater at the Albert Whitted Plant under General Condition 22 of the city's Wastewater Treatment permit,” the city wrote in an email to media.

The permit allows the city to discharge partially treated wastewater directly into Tampa Bay when emergency situations arise.

The city says the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has been notified of the need to discharge. The effort to relieve pressure on local sewer systems began at 4 p.m. Tuesday, the city said.

The outfall is located about a quarter-mile into Tampa Bay, east of Albert Whitted Airport. People are asked to avoid contact with water in that area of Tampa Bay.

Reports of sewers being over capacity have come in from St. Pete Beach and Madeira Beach following heavy rain on Monday and Tuesday.

It is unclear how long St. Petersburg will need to release the partially treated wastewater into the Bay. The city did note that it would sample discharged water to document its quality.

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