With contractor’s help, effluent contained before it could flow to any surface waters
About 8,700 gallons of raw sewage spilled on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the Paul J. Phillips Water Reclamation Facility in Rotunda West, after a contractor working for Sarasota County Government damaged a 4-inch sewer force main that is part of the Englewood Water District’s infrastructure, the District reported to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).
The facility stands at 140 Telman Road.
Approximately 7,500 gallons of the effluent was recovered with a vacuum truck, the report says. Though the sewage entered a stormwater ditch, the report notes that the contractor created berms on both sides of the spill area to stop the effluent from flowing beyond that location, into surface waters.
A sewer force main is a pipeline that conveys wastewater under pressure from a lower to a higher elevation, the Environmental Protection Agency explains.
The spill occurred when the contractor’s crew was working on repairs of a berm that was damaged when Hurricane Ian struck the county in September 2022, the report adds.
The incident began at 8:45 a.m., the report says; the spill was stopped at 9:05 a.m. The pipeline was repaired and then returned to service by 11:30 a.m., the report adds.
Further, the report continues, “Lime was applied to the ground after the pipe was repaired.” Lime is used in such situations to disinfect the area by reducing bacteria levels , and it helps neutralize the odor, as noted by several local government websites The Sarasota News Leader reviewed.