PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County officials said there are no health concerns after testing the waters in the John's Pass area following a sanitary sewer overflow this week.
Pinellas County Utilities responded to the overflow Tuesday. According to the county, the overflow was about 7,400 gallons due to a shovel blocking a sewer gravity main.
County Utilities said crews took swift action to protect public health, like posting signs.
Pinellas County issued a statement on the issue:
Pinellas County Utilities received the results on February 24 of the water quality samples taken at John’s Pass in Madeira Beach on February 23. In accordance with regulatory requirements, samples are collected in response to sanitary sewer overflows to ensure the protection of public health. Water quality samples were collected in four locations and the preliminary February 23 test results indicated that the samples were within water quality standards. There are no health concerns at this time and recreational activities can resume. Pinellas County Utilities removed precautionary signs from the area.
We are diligent in maintaining and operating our sewer system to ensure that it remains reliable and effective for our community. Customers of Pinellas County Utilities with additional questions or concerns can call Customer Services at (727) 464-4000.
This situation has frustrated some local business owners.
"This is our livelihood. This is our lifestyle,” said Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina. “We love going to the beach. We love going fishing. We love having a great time outside, and it makes it really difficult when our water quality is poor."
For perspective, Dr. Valerie J. Harwood, a Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida, weighed in.
"Common as in, I would say, in the state of Florida, it certainly happens multiple times per day,” said Dr. Harwood.
Harwood said you wouldn’t see an immediate impact, but there’s more to it.
"You have thousands and thousands of separate releases every day, and it's not just sewage. It’s also excess fertilizer coming off of people’s lawns. It’s also agricultural waste. It’s also stormwater that’s running off,” said Harwood. “When you put all of this together, then you have the problem of degraded water quality.”
