Bradenton could face lawsuit over sewage spills

BRADENTON – Both Sarasota Bay and Tampa Bay have taken hits over the last few years with bouts of red tide and seagrass loss. Founder of Suncoast Waterkeeper Justin Bloom says there’s too much nitrogen in our waterways and aging infrastructure is part of the problem.

“Sewage plagues this area and it is not just Bradenton. Many municipalities have spills, but I think Bradenton has been accounted for more than their share, a lot more recently,” Bloom said.

Suncoast Waterkeeper and other environmental groups in the region are joining forces to hold the City of Bradenton accountable over a series of sewage spills over the last few years. Suncoast Waterkeeper, Our Children’s Earth Foundation, ManaSota-88 and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper have filed a 60-day notice of violation of the Clean Water Act and notice of intent to file suit for what they’re calling “serious and ongoing violations of the federal Clean Water Act.”