Wastewater treatment plants were offline, manholes overflowed and tons of waste contaminated waterways throughout the region.
Justin Tramble, executive director of Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, a non-profit conservation group, said these spills are no longer resulting from so-called 100-year rain events, and sewage treatment plants need to be upgraded - now.
"We need to reinvest in our infrastructure, or else every time we have these tropical events, we're going to be harming our watershed, which really hurts our economy. So we're playing with fire," he said.
Tramble said they haven't heard any reports of fish kills or strong smells in the bay - yet - but they are sending a team into Tampa Bay to look for any effects of the spills.
"We cannot continue to let these happen because there comes a time where we will have to realize as a community that these storms are becoming more frequent," he said. "With these storms, we continue to have this significant rainfall. So it's no longer an excuse that these are, you know, 100-year events. It's happening a lot."
Tramble said we need to face the problem and invest more money in keeping sewage treatment plants from becoming overwhelmed every time we have a major storm.
"I do think that there has been some focus to invest in the infrastructure, but it's not enough," he said, "and I think it's important for folks that engage with the water, which is everybody here that lives in the Tampa Bay region, whether directly or indirectly, continue to speak up so that the can doesn't get kicked down the road."
"Because we can't keep having these events, and we can't keep blaming the rarity of the event," he said. "At some point, that argument needs to go away, and we need to face the problems and fix this so that we can protect our our water."
The reported spills do not include any from the city of St. Petersburg, which shut down two of its three sewage treatment plants before Milton struck.
"The city made the very difficult decision to take two sewage plants offline, the Northeast one and the Southwest one, and this was because the conditions, the wind conditions, had gotten so bad that we were up against a deadline to try to rescue the plant workers safely, get them safely out of the plant, and also to prevent any damage to the plant," said St. Petersburg spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez.
During Hurricane Helene, Pinellas County reported more than 800,000 gallons of wastewater overflowed from manhole covers. Half of that was in St. Petersburg.
Here's a partial list of some of the sewage spills associated with Hurricane Milton.
In Bradenton, on Oct. 9, due to high flow, the city’s water reclamation facility began a partial filter bypass to the Manatee River. They are unable to estimate the actual volume bypassed as there is no meter at the channel. The estimated volume of 20 million gallons of partially treated wastewater was bypassed from Oct. 9 to Oct. 11. The bypass remained open, but no flow went through.
In Bradenton, on Oct. 10, the water reclamation facility ran out of sodium-bisulfate, the chemical used to dechlorinate the treated effluent prior to discharge. The total estimated volume of partially treated water that went to the Manatee River is 18 million gallons.
In Tampa, on Oct. 10, City of Tampa Wastewater Department discovered a wastewater overflow near 9901 18th St., due to power failure and flooding of the 18th Street pumping station, that leads to the Howard F. Curren treatment plant at Port Tampa Bay on Hillsborough Bay. The volume of overflow was estimated at about 5 million gallons. The overflow discharged from manholes and into a pond south of the manhole. A bypass pumping system was installed to stop the overflow. A large volume of the overflow contained within the pond drained back into the collection system through operation of the bypass pumping system.
In Tampa, on Oct. 9, the primary sedimentation tanks at the Howard F. Curren Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant overflowed due to heavy rains associated with Hurricane Milton. Approximately 2.93 million gallons of partially treated wastewater flowed out of the tanks and onto the treatment plant property. A portion of this volume flowed into the stormwater system on Maritime Boulevard and into Hillsborough Bay.
In Lakeland, on Oct. 9, high flow from Hurricane Milton overburdened the effluent line at the Glendale Water Reclamation Facility. The partially treated wastewater flowed into the stormwater system into Lake Somerset. The total amount of the overflow is estimated at 2 million gallons.
In Clearwater, a power outage at the Top of the World wastewater treatment plant caused 78,000 gallons of untreated wastewater and 237,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater spilled. An unnamed waterway was impacted.
In Valrico, on Oct. 10, 619,792 gallons of partially treated effluent was released at the Valrico Advance Wastewater Treatment Facility located at 1167 North Dover Road. The release was contained onsite. There was no reported impact to residences, businesses, or the environment.
In Brandon, on Oct. 9, the filters started overflowing at the Falkenburg Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility located at 102 N. Falkenburg Road. This event released approximately 200,000 gallons of partially treated effluent onto the ground and into adjacent stormwater ponds. There was no reported impact to residences, businesses, or the environment.
In Seminole, a lift station power outage caused the sanitary system to backup and overflow from a manhole at the South Cross Bayou water reclamation facility. Approximately 144,000 gallons were spilled and 0 gallons recovered. Overflow reached a storm drain which leads to Sawgrass Lake.
In Seminole, on Oct. 11, a sanitary sewer overflow due to Hurricane Milton. Lift station power outage at the South Cross Bayou water reclamation facility caused the sanitary system to backup and overflow from a manhole. Approximately 102,000 gallons were spilled and 6,700 gallons recovered. Overflow reached a storm drain that leads to Boca Ciega Bay.
In Bradenton, on Oct. 9, Manatee County Southwest Water Reclamation Facility staff became aware of the plant drain station discharging partially treated wastewater onto the plant grounds located at 5101 65th Street West in Bradenton. Due to flooding on the plant site and the SSO occurring during Hurricane Milton, it is impossible to estimate how much of the discharge left the site but the ultimate destination is assumed to be Sarasota Bay and Palma Sola Bay. The initial estimated volume is greater than 100,000 gallons, but a final volume will be provided if it can be calculated.
In Seminole, on Oct. 11, a lift station power outage caused the sanitary system to back up at the South Cross Bayou water reclamation facility and overflow from a manhole. Approximately 72,000 gallons were spilled and 0 gallons recovered. Overflow made its way into a retention pond. No waters of the state were impacted.
In Clearwater, a sewer stoppage and back up due at the Marshall Street water reclamation facility caused excessive inflow from Hurricane Milton. About 46,000 gallons were spilled, with 0 gallons recovered. Much of it spilled into Stevenson Creek.
In Palm Harbor, on Oct. 11, a lift station power outage caused the sanitary system to backup and overflow from a manhole. Approximately 45,000 gallons were spilled and 0 gallons recovered. Overflow reached a storm drain, which leads to the Canal to Klosterman Bayou.
In Clearwater, on Oct. 11, a manhole overflowed due to excessive inflow from Hurricane Milton. About 31,500 gallons of untreated wastewater into Allen Creek, which eventually connects to Tampa Bay. About 1,500 gallons were recovered.
In Seminole, on Oct. 10, a lift station power outage caused the sanitary system to backup and overflow from a manhole. Approximately 30,000 gallons were spilled and 0 gallons recovered. Overflow reached Lake Seminole.
In Tampa, on Oct. 9, the City of Tampa Wastewater Department became aware of a wastewater overflow near 7301 Egypt Lake Dr. It resulted in overflow in the street and entered into nearby stormwater inlets. The inlets connect to a storm water system that discharges into Egypt Lake. Estimated discharge was 29,370 gallons.
In Dunedin, on Oct. 10, a manhole overflowed. More than 20,000 gallons of untreated sewage escaped from the city’s wastewater treatment plant. About 10,400 gallons were recovered. Much of the rest flowed into Jerry Branch, which flows into Jerry Lake.
In Seminole, on Oct. 10, a lift station power outage caused the sanitary system to backup and overflow from multiple cleanouts at the South Cross Bayou water reclamation facility. Approximately 18,000 gallons were spilled and 0 gallons recovered. Overflow reached a storm drain, which leads to The Narrows.
In St. Petersburg, on Oct. 8, sewage was found coming out of a manhole on the 2400 block of 41st Street South. About 15,000 gallons spilled, with 8,000 gallons recovered. Much of it flowed into Clam Bayou.
In Tampa, on Oct. 13, a wastewater overflow occurred near 317 W. North St. due to power failure at the Epps Park pumping station. The volume of overflow was estimated at approximately 5,000 gallons. The overflow discharged from a manhole and into a storm inlet that discharges to the Hillsborough River.
In Tarpon Springs, a manhole overflowed at the intersection of Milton and Safford Avenues, draining into the retention pond on the west side of the road. About 4,500 gallons spilled, with 660 gallons recovered. Some of it spilled into the Anclote River.
