ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Drivers in the St. Petersburg area can expect road closures at the San Martin Boulevard Bridge as the city continues to repair a leaking main and contain a spill that discharged about 10,000 gallons of sewage into Riviera Bay.
According to a statement from city officials, a break in a sewage line on Friday, Aug. 18, led to 600 gallons of wastewater flowing into the Bay. The additional 10,000 gallons flowed into the bay on Saturday as crews worked to repair the broken line and contain the leak.
Water quality testing is underway at Riviera Bay, and city officials advise people to stay away from the bay until testing is completed.
The road closures are expected to be intermittent amid containment efforts and ongoing construction work, officials said.
"Containment efforts are underway and effectively capturing the sewage as it leaks from the pipe, including the construction of a pit lined with sandbags," officials said in a press release, "City crews are utilizing vacuum trucks (vactors) onsite to pull the sewage out of the pit, preventing any additional leakage into the bay. All sewage vacuumed from the containment pit is trucked away for full treatment in the City's wastewater facilities."