Nearly 1.5 million gallons of sewage spewed in St. Pete

Nearly 1.5 million gallons of untreated wastewater flowed throughout St. Petersburg neighborhoods as Hurricane Helene’s storm surge overwhelmed infrastructure.

While sewage discharges occurred citywide, one culprit was responsible for 67% of the pollution. Officials announced that a shuttered Northeast Water Reclamation Facility (NWRF) leaked 1.02 million gallons starting at roughly 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, into the next day.

The sewage meandered south into Placido Bayou. Before the announcement, Claude Tankersley told the Catalyst he thought flows to the plant decreased during the plant’s shutdown as many affected residents – per city instruction – did not generate wastewater.

At an emergency briefing Friday, Tankersley said the plant typically receives between eight and 10 million gallons of sewage daily. He said Helene’s seven-foot storm surge would have taken the facility offline for three to six weeks.

“You can do the math yourself – three to six weeks of eight to 10 million gallons a day is a lot of sewage,” Tankersley added. “So, we’re not happy that we discharged a million gallons, but it could have been a lot worse.”

City officials “made the difficult decision” to cut power to the NWRF Sept. 26 at approximately 10:20 p.m., as much of the city was flooding and without power. Mayor Ken Welch announced the possibility at 5:30 p.m. that day, when evacuating affected areas was no longer viable.

Businesses and residences located north of 30^th Avenue and east of I-275, about a quarter of the city’s population, could not flush toilets, bathe or wash clothes and dishes. The administration said the facility would remain offline for at least 48 hours.

Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz questioned the notification process at a meeting Thursday. She noted that many people outside evacuation zones, particularly those with special needs, could have used an advance warning.

“If they would have found out about it, they may have made different decisions about leaving,” Hanewicz said. “We will learn from this. We will get better at responding to it.”

Tankersley said construction commenced on a $70 million project in 2023 that will elevate the NWRF’s critical components. He noted that Craven Askew, chief operator, and his team “were in danger” as they “worked tirelessly to keep the plant running as long as we could.”

Tankersley said the crew’s truck stalled in three to four feet of storm surge as they evacuated from the facility. First responders rescued them in a high-water vehicle.

Askew and his team returned the next day. “They pulled off an amazing feat by reopening the plant in 24 hours,” Tankersley said.

He called Askew and NEWRF staff “talented, innovative, hard-working and smart.” Tankersley said they “not only work for St. Petersburg but also live here. So, their passion for the job is personal.”

Mayor Ken Welch (fifth from left) visited the Northeast Water Reclamation Facility team after the team restored service in 24 hours. Photo: City of St. Petersburg.

Additional discharges

The city reported six other untreated wastewater discharges, mostly from dozens of overflowing manholes throughout the city, in the storm’s aftermath. Much of the effluent reached local waterways.

Six manholes discharged roughly 220,550 gallons from six around the 600 Block of Foch St. NE. That sewage entered storm drains that led to Foch Lake.

Approximately 107,250 gallons spewed from one manhole at the 700 Block of 61^st Ave. NE. The effluent entered a storm drain that leads to Edgemore Creek.

An estimated 22,500 gallons spilled from around the 200 Block of 55^th Ave. NE. The wastewater also entered Edgemore Creek.

Over 14,000 gallons leaked from 14 manholes on 2600 Block of East Bay Isle Ave. SE. That sewage entered Tampa Bay.

A city lift station discharged about 4,000 gallons on the 600 Block of Grevilla Ave. S. The sewage entered storm drains that led to Boca Ciega Bay.

A private lift station near San Carlos and Caya Costa Ave. NE leaked 400 gallons due to a power outage. That wastewater entered storm drains that led to Lake Caya Costa. City crews sucked 84,000 gallons from the system to prevent further spillage.

Over 1.497 million gallons of untreated wastewater flowed throughout St. Petersburg during the storm.

Hurricane Debby caused over 400,000 gallons to discharge in early August. Another 20,000 gallons leaked during torrential downpours in early September.

In less than two months, at least two million gallons of sewage spilled in St. Pete neighborhoods.

A map highlighting recent wastewater spills around Tampa Bay. Screengrab.

The city will face state repercussions. Tankersley expects Florida Department of Environmental Protection fines for any sewer discharges. He declined to speculate on the latest total.

Officials also reported six “Permit Excursion Notifications” throughout Helene’s aftermath. Those were due to treated water samples from the NEWRF and the Northwest Water Reclamation Facility (NWWRF) not meeting state standards.

Two of the NEWRF samples, including one from Oct. 1, more than quadrupled the allowable fecal coliform limits. Another two far surpassed total suspended solids regulations.

Two NWWRF samples did not meet the chlorine thresholds required to eliminate pollutants. Officials sent the substandard water into deep injection wells in all instances.

There is some good news. Tankersley said Friday that St. Petersburg “was blessed that our drinking water system did not receive any damage – at all.”