Water quality concerns persist post-TS Debby

Tropical Storm Debby, which impacted the Manatee County area beginning Aug. 3, caused flooding and infrastructure damage throughout the region, including major disruptions to the area’s sanitary sewer systems.

The reports of sewage overflows into watersheds elevated ongoing concerns about polluted water.

According to reports from the city of Bradenton dated Aug. 4 and Aug. 5 and confirmed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, about 25 million gallons of untreated sewage overflowed into local water systems because of the storm.

Another estimated 17 million gallons of spilled sewage was reported by the city of Sarasota, making for combined estimates of about 42 million gallons or just under 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of contaminated water entering Sarasota Bay.

There also were reports of overflows from other counties in the region.

The overflows entered waterways, resulting in millions of gallons of contamination spilling into bodies of water that flow into Sarasota Bay, leading to unease regarding the safety of recreating at beach and bay destinations.