Only about 500 gallons recovered
A break in a sewer force main on Camino Real, which is slightly east of the Siesta Drive drawbridge in Sarasota, resulted in the July 4 spill of about 2,500 gallons of sewage into an adjacent stormwater structure and then into Sarasota Bay, Sarasota County Public Utilities staff reported to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).
Approximately 500 gallons was recovered from the stormwater structure, the report points out.
The incident began at 9:30 a.m. on July 4; county crews did not finish their repairs until 6:30 p.m. that day, the FDEP notice says.
As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) explains, “Force mains are pipelines that convey wastewater under pressure from the discharge side of a pump or pneumatic ejector to a discharge point.”
Staff learned of the incident through a call about sewage flowing into the street in front of the house standing at 4250 Camino Real, the report says. “Upon investigation, crews identified a broken 6-inch force main on Camino Real,” the report explains.
County workers who were on-call for the holiday were able to isolate the force main by shutting off a valve, which stopped the sewage flow, the report continues. Notifications and clean-up activities were proceeding according to county protocols, the report says. Sampling of the affected waters is required, it points out.