City reclamation facility releases 1.2 million gallons of partially treated water into Manatee River.
Staff report
The Bradenton Times
BRADENTON — On Wednesday, approximately 1.2 million gallons of mostly raw sewage was bypassed and discharged into the Manatee River.
“At 12:10 pm the city water Reclamation Facility experienced an operational failure,” read the FDEP pollution notice. “The filter system had a blockage of the media causing 1.2 million gallons of partially treated wastewater to be bypassed into the Manatee River. The bypass was closed at 5:10 pm and the river sampling was started. City staff cleaned the aeras affected and a normal operation resumed.”
In 2022, the city settled a lawsuit regarding wastewater spilling into the Manatee River, agreeing to improve its wastewater infrastructure significantly.
The Bradenton water reclamation facility at 1850 First St.
“When do we seek an injunction for the city to stop development they can’t handle?” asked former Manatee County Commissioner and Bradenton Times publisher Joe McClash. “The fact that there are so many units under construction downtown and several times a year raw sewage is released gives rise to the fact that they can’t handle what they already have. They could have an interconnect with the county to handle any problems in the future. Until then, there shouldn’t be any certificates of occupancy issued.”
This article first appeared in The Bradenton Times. To read the original version, click here.