BRADENTON — In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby, the City of Bradenton Water Reclamation Facility continues to bypass its filters, resulting in an ongoing discharge of partially treated wastewater into the Manatee River. Suncoast Waterkeeper has issued a no-swim advisory for the river.
"Suncoast Waterkeeper is recommending no one swim in the Manatee River until this bypass is stopped and data supports good water quality conditions. The discharge of sewage can cause health risks due to high bacteria counts and potential pathogens. Please stay tuned for updates as we continue to monitor this situation," the organization posted on its social media pages.
More than 20 million gallons of wastewater have flowed into the river so far. Recent testing by Suncoast Waterkeeper shows some areas of the river have 1000x the maximum allowable fecal bacteria for swimming and fishing.
As part of a Clean Water Act settlement with the EPA over past failures, the city has agreed to invest nearly $50 million in the facility. However, the work is not expected to be complete until next year.
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rayfusco68
How and why does storm water enter the sewage system? Why aren't these two effluents handled separately? Obviously raw sewage is far more dangerous to our environment than storm runoff water.
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