Approximately 2,100 gallons recovered
A break in a Sarasota County pipeline resulted in the spill of approximately 8,000 gallons of sewage at 323 Yacht Harbor Drive in Osprey on Aug. 26, the county’s Public Utilities staff has reported to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).
Only about 2,100 gallons was recovered, the staff told FDEP.
At 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 26, the report says, staff received a call regarding a potential sewage spill in Osprey. When workers arrived on the scene, the report continues, they confirmed that a PVC sewer force main with a 6-inch diameter had broken. “Staff … isolated the spill in less than 5 minutes by turning off the nearby lift station and [the necessary] valve,” the report adds.
Staff kept the section of the pipe that broke “to help us evaluate the cause of the break,” the report points out.
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. Pumps or compressors located in a lift station provide the energy for wastewater conveyance in force mains.”
Stormwater structures and waterways were affected by the spill, the report continues. (The site fronts on Dryman Bay, an aerial map shows.) Therefore, sampling of waterways was necessary to protect the public health, the report says.
Clean-up of the site proceeded in accord with county protocol, the report adds.
The work at the site was completed by 4 p.m., the report notes.
The sewer force main is part of the infrastructure associated with the county’s Central County Water Reclamation Facility, which stands on Palmer Ranch, the report says.