National Response Center Report No. 906722 -- Recent Raw Sewage Spill

Photo credit: Marie Hardage

Last night at approximately 6 PM we saw the sign (above) at the intersection of St. Francis Street and Cordova Street, bording Maria Sanchez Lake.

Efforts to obtain information from the City of St. Augustine were unavailing.

However, JOHN REGAN, Chief Operations Officer of the City of St. Augustine told me at 6: 10 last night that the "Recent Raw Sewage Spill" in quo was "last week."

The "Recent Sewage Spill"sign was not there on Tuesday morning, May 26th. It was there by 6 PM.

The "Recent Sewage Spill" sign was not there throughout the entire weekend.

The Editor of our local newspaper had not been informed by the City of the spill or the existence of a "Recent Sewage Spill" sign at Maria Sanchez Lake.

Local residents were not informed, other than by the obscure, monolingual "Recent Raw Sewage Spill" sign, of which there was only one on the north end of Maria Sanchez Lake.

The National Response Center was not informed by the City of the "Recent Raw Sewage Spill."

The "Recent Raw Sewage Spill" sign was tiny (8 x 10 inches) and only in English. That's right, not only is our Nation's Oldest European-founded City not informing people of a recent raw sewage spill in a lake used for fishing, but it is so ethnocentric that it does not post "Recent Raw Sewage Spill" signs in Spanish.

What about bigger signs and the word "WARNING" or "DANGER" (and Spanish translations)?

What would EPA think of the City's method of public health notices?

What would FDEP think of the City's method of public health notices?

Call and ask them about National Response Center Report No. 906722.

What would the King of Spain (who visited here) or Pedro Menendez de Aviles (our Ancient City's founder) say about that?

Undoubtedly the City of St. Augustine staff will kvetch that I turned them in to the National Response Center (again). The City staff has done it before, again and again.

As Jefferson said, "I have sworn upon the Altar of Almighty God eternal vigilance against every form of tyranny over the mind" of humankind.