County staff able to recover all of effluent
On Monday, July 21, a sewer force main break near the intersection of Bee Ridge and Lorraine roads in Sarasota resulted in the spill of about 7,000 gallons of raw sewage, Sarasota County Public Utilities Department staff has reported to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).
Employees of a private contractor working at the site struck the force main, the report explained. “Staff quickly stopped the spill by closing nearby valves,” the report said, with the spilled sewage “fully contained within the excavation area created by the contractor.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains that sewer 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.”
The area of the incident is close to the site of the county’s Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility, which stands at 5550 Lorraine Road, the report added. The Bee Ridge plant is the largest of all of the county’s water reclamation facilities. It is being converted to Advanced Wastewater Treatment status, and it is being expanded.
Staff was able to recover all of the effluent, the report noted. No stormwater basins or waterways were affected, the report pointed out, so no sampling of water would be needed in an effort to protect public safety.
The alert about the spill came in at 9:45 a.m. on July 21, the report noted. Staff had resolved the situation by 11 a.m., it said.
The cleanup of the spill site was being completed in accord with county protocol, the report added. Public Utilities staff planned to work with the county’s Risk Management staff “to document the contractor’s actions and pursue reimbursement [for the damages],” the report pointed out.