BRADENTON — On Sept. 8, a filter overflow at the City of Bradenton sewage treatment facility resulted in 1.7 million gallons of sewage being released into the Manatee River, according to a report filed with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
At 9:28 p.m., the operator notified the Chief Operator, who gave instructions to shut down the aerators and filter lift pumps and to open the bypass valve to mitigate the situation. By 10:00 p.m., the overflow from both the filters and a clarifier had stopped. Flow through the bypass continued until approximately 3:10 a.m. The bypass valve was closed at 4:25 a.m., once normal conditions were restored.
The Water Reclamation Facility had been experiencing sustained high flows during this period while operating with one aerator offline due to a mechanical failure, according to the city's report. The affected area was cleaned and limed.
Sampling began on Sept. 8, in accordance with regulatory requirements. Sampling ended on September 11 with the receipt of the preliminary report from the samples collected on September 10. The city states that all samples were under the limit for enterococci.
It is the largest spill the city has reported so far in 2025 and occurred as the city continues the ongoing process of upgrading the long-beleaguered plant, which is mandated by a settlement reached with environmental groups after years of semi-regular sewage discharges. The city released 130 million gallons of sewage into the Manatee River after Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
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David Daniels
It is unbelievable how much raw sewage that Bradenton has dumped into the river over the last few years. Yet the mayor and city council keep approving more development and higher density. Just last month they rezoned coastal high hazard areas to allow higher density. They rezoned the westminster property to allow for a 12 story hotel plus more housing at higher density. Just before that they approved a 400 unit apartment bldg on the old city hall property across the street from westminster. It is the city council that needs to be dumped.
Wednesday, September 17, 2025 Report this
RRICH69176
County and City Boards should place a "hold" on further development until the the sewage treatment plant is upgraded to handle these frequent "periods of sustained high flows". Maybe some of our wealthy developers would like to contribute money and have their names placed on the facility.
Wednesday, September 17, 2025 Report this
GLEN GADFLY GIBELLINA
They are habitual offenders. They have known about the shortcomings of this plant for a long long time and failed to move in corrective measures for just as long. There should be a federal investigation, large fines, and perhaps criminal charges as well. The mayor is the person who is ultimately responsible and it’s time for him to resign.
Wednesday, September 17, 2025 Report this
serenowens
I agree with most of the previous comments. However, the City of Bradenton will not pay the fines. The citizens will pay the fines through higher taxes. The Mayor and the members of the City Council should be personally responsible for the fines. This has been going on for too many years! All City Council members past and present since the beginning of this problem should be responsible!
Monday, September 22, 2025 Report this