2nd Sewage Spill Reported in Clearwater This Week

CLEARWATER, FL — The City of Clearwater has reported a small sewage spill along Byron Drive. The second reported spill of the week involved an estimated 100 gallons of untreated sewage, according to city officials.

The spill was discovered around 11 a.m. Sept. 29 by city workers. It occurred in the 1300 block of Byron Drive.

The spill is attributed to a break in an 8-inch gravity line caused by root intrusion, according to an email from the city.

“Upon excavating the soil above the pipe to investigate the reported leak approximately 100 gallons of untreated sewage exited the excavation hole before the crew was able to contain it,” the city said. “The untreated sewage ran over land and into Stevenson Creek.”

After the spill occurred, the city tested for fecal coliform bacteria above the spill site, at the spill location and downstream of the spill, the email noted. City workers are disinfecting the area where the spill occurred on the property, the city noted.

“The quantity of sewage was very small therefore we do not believe that a safety or health issue exists,” the email said. Even so, the city has contacted the state and the Pinellas County Health Department so they can make their own assessments. The homeowner is also being notified in writing.

Earlier this week, the city also reported a spill involving 150,000 gallons of sewage. Both spills were announced to the public within 24 hours, meeting Gov. Rick Scott’s new notice of emergency rule. That rule, enacted earlier this week, mandates 24-hour notification following a pollution event, such as a sewage spill.

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