About 4,000 gallons of raw sewage spills after malfunction at county facility located near Phillippi Creek

None of effluent could be recovered, county reports

An aerial map shows the location of 2195 Linwood Drive in Sarasota. Image from Google Maps

A Feb. 28 malfunction at a master pump station on Linwood Drive in Sarasota resulted in approximately 4,000 gallons of sewage spilling into the canal behind the facility, Sarasota County staff reported to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

None of the effluent could be recovered, the report said.

Staff began sampling the water in the canal, and it was providing notifications to surrounding property owners and cleaning up the area, “per protocol,” the report pointed out.

A Sarasota County Public Utilities Department crew responded about 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 28 to a report of manholes overflowing outside the master lift station located at 2195 Linwood Drive, which close to Phillippi Creek, west of Honore Avenue, staff noted in the FDEP report.

The main circuit breaker for the lift station had faulted, the report explained, which led to a power interruption. “Crews were able to isolate the faulty pump and reset the breaker, restoring power to the station,” the report continued. “The remaining two pumps are able to maintain normal operation in the lift station,” it added.

This graphic shows the location of the lift station. Image courtesy FDEP

Pollution Control Systems explains, “Sewage/Wastewater lift stations, also called pump stations, are used for pumping wastewater or sewage from a lower to higher elevation, particularly where the elevation of the source is not sufficient for gravity flow and/or when the use of gravity conveyance will result in excessive excavation and higher construction costs.”

The Linwood Drive lift station is part of the infrastructure for the county’s Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility, which is located at 5550 Lorraine Road in Sarasota, the report noted.

The county crew completed its work at the site by noon on Feb. 28, the report added.

The County Commission has been approving measures over the past couple of years to improve the county’s sewage system infrastructure in an effort to prevent spills.

1 thought on “About 4,000 gallons of raw sewage spills after malfunction at county facility located near Phillippi Creek”

  1. “….The County Commission has been approving measures over the past couple of years to improve the county’s sewage system infrastructure in an effort to prevent spills….”

    Until these sewage spills directly impact a County Commissioner, expect this to continue. They’ve approved upgrades costing over $100 million, right? Who got the contracts, and what have they done so far—Anything? Or did the contract include a provision for ongoing sewage spills?

    Dump these losers in 2022–Ziegler in Dist. 2 and the developers’ candidate TBD in Dist 4.

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