How many gallons of wastewater spilled in St. Pete?

Hurricane Milton unleashed torrential rains and winds on St. Petersburg two weeks ago today. However, many storm-related community impacts remain unclear.

City officials have filed two dozen pollution notices with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) in Milton’s aftermath. All are related to untreated wastewater spills; all but three lack volume estimates.

At least 5.9 million gallons of sewage spewed from 55 manholes citywide during and after the storm, according to Samanth Bequer, the City’s public information officer. However, that does not include overflows from two shuttered water reclamation facilities.

For context, an offline Northeast Water Reclamation Facility accounted for 67% of the nearly 1.5 million gallons that flowed throughout St. Petersburg neighborhoods during Hurricane Helene. Justin Tramble, executive director of the nonprofit Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, said the spills exemplify a regional problem.

“We are constantly shooting ourselves in the foot when it comes to our water quality,” Tramble said. “For a city that is so connected to the health of our water, you’d think we’d do better.”

The City has not responded to repeated interview requests from the Catalyst.

Tramble noted the problem persists throughout Tampa Bay. However, the FDEP’s pollution map shows the issue is exponentially worse in Pinellas County.

FDEP notices show roughly 3.65 million gallons of wastewater spilled in Largo, 5.05 million gallons in Seminole and 3.62 million gallons discharged in Palm Harbor. Much of the effluent reached Lake Seminole and Lake Tarpon, respectively.

No other Pinellas cities, except for St. Petersburg, reported such significant pollution due to Milton. St. Pete Beach notified the FDEP of a 50-gallon drum leaking oil onto the sand.

“Please forward to someone who can assist with the next steps,” wrote an administrator Oct. 15. “City officials have the spill contained but need to know what to do next.”

A Florida Department of Environmental Protection map highlights the discrepancy between Pinellas County wastewater discharge and other areas of Tampa Bay. Screengrab.

In early August, Hurricane Debby caused over 400,000 gallons of wastewater to discharge in St. Petersburg. Another 20,000 gallons leaked during torrential downpours in early September. Helene added 1.497 million gallons to the total by the end of the month.

Those numbers now pale in comparison to the sewage that spewed during Milton. Tramble said the current infrastructure “just isn’t good enough.”

“We need to become more resilient,” he added. “That is how we protect our way of life here. I hope that this is a wake-up call.”

St. Petersburg’s official Facebook account stated Oct. 3 that the city “is committed to reporting unauthorized discharges at wastewater plants and within city limits.” The post then instructs residents to follow a link for updates on leaks during Helene.

That is the last mention of sewage discharges from the account. However, the link will bring followers to a website with information related to Milton.

The website lists 21 wastewater discharges in Milton’s aftermath. All lack volume estimates and no entries mention the two shuttered sewage treatment facilities.

According to FDEP’s website, St. Petersburg’s water woes began as Milton rapidly intensified in the Gulf of Mexico. Two reclaimed water mains broke Oct. 8 and spilled 26,000 gallons.

St. Petersburg’s first storm-related wastewater discharge, 15,000 gallons, occurred Oct. 9, roughly 12 hours before Milton’s landfall. Those, and another 648,000-gallon leak, do not appear on the city’s website.

A significant percentage of the effluent spewed during Milton directly or indirectly reached local water bodies. Those include Boca Ciega Bay, Tampa Bay, Coffee Pot Bayou, Lake Maggiore, Clam Bayou, Booker Creek and Salt Creek.

Tampa Bay Waterkeeper has increased water testing efforts after the storms. One of three St. Petersburg locations, the St. Pete Pier, had acceptable bacteria levels.

Water samples from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus and Municipal Marina showed harmful fecal bacteria concentrations. However, multiple county beaches passed the nonprofit’s tests.

“We’ll continue to monitor the impacts these wastewater spills have on our water quality,” Tramble said. “The amount of stormwater runoff alone is significant, but when you add even more nutrients because of outdated and inadequate wastewater facilities, the pressure on our bay ramps up.”

To view locations of St. Petersburg wastewater spills, visit the website here.