TAMPA, Fla. — Heavy rains and a system failure are to blame for 60,110 gallons of wastewater entering waterways around the Tampa Bay area on July 3.
Reports filed with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection show issues in the City of Tampa began around 4:22 p.m.
The first occurred in the area of 2930 W. Coachman Avenue after heavy rains and a control system failure at the San Carlos Pumping Station caused an overflow.
According to the report, the overflow discharged out of three area manholes before entering stormwater inlets which lead to Hillsborough Bay. In the seven hours the wastewater continuously overflowed, the city says a total of 57,820 gallons of it made it into the waterway.
Around the same time, heavy rains were causing a separate wastewater overflow just six miles away at 1003 W. Colombus Drive.
According to the incident's report, 2,290 gallons of wastewater overflowed out of one manhole that was near a stormwater inlet leading to the Hillsborough River. It was just shy of eight hours before the spillage could be stopped.
"Technicians were unable to collect the overflow and return it to the wastewater collection system," the reports read for both instances.
Warning signs were posted in the area to alert the public while water samples are collected and tested.
10 Tampa Bay has reached out to the City of Tampa for comment. This story will be updated once we hear back.
The Tampa Bay area is no stranger to wastewater-related issues. Over the years there have been several notable instances of water contamination forcing people from their homes to the most recent Piney Point wastewater emergency.
Here's a look back at some of the largest overflows to impact our area:
Piney Point Wastewater Emergency: The former Piney Point phosphate processing plant in Manatee County led to evacuations earlier this year due to an uncontrolled leak. The incident forced crews to divert at least 215 million gallons of untreated wastewater into Port Manatee to alleviate some of the pressure on the breached liner.
Clearwater Mobile Home Park Shut Down: In 2019, residents of the Southern Comfort mobile home park off U.S. 19 were forced out of their homes due to ongoing water contamination issues.
Documents showed the park had water problems for years, including fecal contamination, and had been operating without a domestic wastewater permit since 2011.
St. Petersburg 74,000 Gallon Wastewater Spill: A small lake and Snell Isle Harbor took the brunt of the major 2018 wastewater incident after heavy rainfall led it to leak from pipes. At the time the city was experiencing ongoing sewage woes.
Untreated Sewage Spills Into Sarasota Bay: Visitors and residents were warned to steer clear of the area in 2018 after the utility department reported a spill of untreated sewage near Centennial Park. The 900,000-gallon wastewater spill was determined to have originated from a broken pipe.
Downtown Tampa Comes Close To Raw Sewage Issue: In 2019, a city official said if workers hadn't located an issue with a concrete pipe that tens of millions of gallons of wastewater would've flowed into the streets downtown.
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