CLEARWATER, Fla. — Relentless rainfall from Hurricane Debby hampered operations at several area wastewater facilities.
Reports submitted by local officials to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection detail issues with overflows and pumps Sunday evening into Monday morning at facilities in Clearwater, Pinellas Park and Safety Harbor.
Nearly a foot of rain fell across parts of Pinellas County within the past 48 hours, radar estimates show.
Officials at Clearwater’s Marshall Street wastewater treatment plant alerted the state the facility was down to just one of its three pumps Sunday evening due to excessive inflow from the storm. Electricians were called to troubleshoot.
The issue caused sewage to overflow from a nearby manhole and into storm drains that lead to Stevenson Creek and eventually Clearwater Harbor.
At Clearwater’s East facility on Gulf to Bay, near the Courtney Campbell Causeway, officials report it became inundated with rainwater Sunday evening. The excessive rain caused several processing tanks to overflow into the nearby stormwater system, according to the report submitted to the state, which drains into Old Tampa Bay.
Clean-up was being assessed on Monday, the report said.
Similar issues were reported at wastewater facilities in Pinellas Park and Safety Harbor.
Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection will now investigate to determine the extent and impact of each incident.