Governor Orders Investigation of Sewage Spills: Thank you!

It's about time. Yes, there were hurricanes -- foreseeable. Frequent sewage spills in St. Augustine and elsewhere must be remedied.

One problem: overdevelopment, too many greedy corporations allowed to build structures without adequate infrastructure, building in wetlands. Enough.

Criminal, civil and administrative investigation of St. Augustine City Hall managers' mismanagement of infrastructure is essential to solving our poop problem, with sewage spills now contaminating the interiors of many homes after Hurricane Matthew. Successive City Managers have been irresponsible, with former City Manager WILLIAM BARRY HARRISS violating Sunshine law for years, "polling" City Commissioners instead of taking sewage spill issues to Commission, allowing holey 300 foot section of pipe to leak into our salt water marsh for years. HARRIS was never indicted for illegal solid waste and sewage pollution, testimony of the reluctance of government officials to charge their colleagues with crimes here in Flori-DUH. These pollution "crimes against nature" must be remedied once and for all. Now that FEMA is involved, we need a coherent federal plan with federal funds to preserve and protect our Nation's Oldest City forever, including St. Augustine National Historical Park and National Seashore.
www.staugustgreen.com


Scott orders sewage spill investigation
James Call , Tallahassee Democrat Capitol Reporter 4:56 p.m. EDT October 12, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott Wednesday ordered a state investigation into sewage spills. He directed Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jon Steverson to find out why hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage flowed through Florida streets and into springs, rivers and the aquifer after hurricanes Hermine and Matthew hit the state.

Tallahassee saw more than 1.6 million gallons when backup generators at a pump station failed to kick on when Hermine knocked out the city’s electric system. A Hermine-related spill in St. Petersburg dumped an estimated 150 million gallons of untreated wastewater into Tampa Bay. Last week in Jacksonville, a Matthew-related spill released more than 5 million gallons into the St. Johns’ watershed.

Power outages at pump and lift stations were reported in all three incidents.

In ordering the investigation, Scott referenced Florida’s “pristine environment, world class beaches, and award-winning state parks." He said he wants Steverson to come up with ideas on how spills can be prevented in the future.

“I encourage utilities across the state to work with DEP to address this important issue since we know storms will continue to impact our state,” said Scott. “We will continue to aggressively make sure everyone has clean water to drink and can enjoy our beautiful waterways and beaches.”

The Tallahassee spill was south of Capital Circle in an area where the city has spent more than $200 million to upgrade its wastewater treatment facility. Tallahassee City Manager Rick Fernandez said the improvements also were designed to reduce the likelihood of spills.

“We will continue working in partnership with the governor and DEP in our efforts to further enhance water quality for our community,” said Ferndandez.

A DEP spokeswoman said the agency is seeking additional information from the utilities involved in the respective spills. She said environmental specialists will assess procedures and explore possible solutions.

DEP declined to say when the investigations findings will be released.

James Call can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on Twitter @CallTallahassee.