Photo by KELLY FARRELL, Staff
Lonnie Gibson, a member of Southern Sanitation's waste and environmental crew, vacuums sewage from in front of a home on San Marco Road into a pump truck Friday morning. Southern Sanitation was contracted by the city to assist in cleaning up thousands of gallons of raw sewage. Kelly Farrell/ Staff
Photo by KELLY FARRELL, Staff
Scrubbing away the sewage, workers plan to be on San Marco Road, Marco Island, throughout the afternoon cleaning up after a failed pump near a lift station led to an 18,000-gallon explosion of raw sewage Friday morning. Bill and Sheila McManus of 929 San Marco Road say the geyser of sewage in their front yard this morning topped off weeks of inconvenience from the loud and unsightly pump station. Kelly Farrell/ Staff
MARCO ISLAND — Talk about a mess. Marco Island work crews spent about seven hours Friday cleaning up after a geyser of raw sewage erupted from a pump near a wastewater lift station on San Marco Road.
Cleaning the waterway near the spill will be up to nature’s tidal flush.
“I woke up and saw sewage blowing in the air about 10 to 12 feet high. The front lawn was 2 feet deep in sewage and toilet paper was hanging off his car,” said Bill McManus of San Marco Road as he pointed to his neighbor’s house.
The pump, which was installed temporarily while upgrading an older lift station, broke down before 6 a.m. Friday morning, said city Public Information Coordinator Lisa Douglass.
The work was not part of the city’s central sewer project but rather a necessary rehabilitation of a lift station and the temporary pump’s flange failed during the upgrade project, she said.
The city had the pump fully operational, flange repaired and about 10,000 gallons of the sewage cleaned up by 9 a.m. Friday.
The effects on the water, which cannot be vacuumed like the road and lawns, are still being gauged.
The water will be tested for bacteria and pathogens with results available today, city environmental specialist Nancy Richie said. Beaches will be posted if the water quality comes back poor.
“There is no health risk and this will have no effect on the Christmas Island Style parade Saturday night,” Douglass said.
She said 8,000 gallons of sewage went into the waterway.
“Will there be long-term effects? No. Short term effects? Likely,” Douglass said.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is currently investigating the incident.
Richie said the tides were on their side.
She said it was low tide around 6 a.m. and higher tide in the late morning, limiting the amount of sewage that likely made it to the nearby canal.
“It is a health issue and DEP will be monitoring the pathogen levels in the water,” Richie said.
E. coli, a bacteria that causes serious food poisoning in humans, will likely be found in samples, but rain, high tidal activity with the new moon and the larger size of the Landmark Waterway may limit the possibility of high levels of the bacteria and its negative effects such as a fish kill, Richie added.
Landmark Waterway, the canal along San Marco Road that was filled with thousands of gallons of sewage Friday, is about 16 feet deep and as wide as 800 feet near where the sewage spill occurred, estimates Gretchen Baldus, who collects data on the city’s geographical systems.
The spillage occurred on San Marco between Buttercup and Copperleaf Court in front of homes on the canal. The average island canal is 100 feet wide and Richie said the spill may have relatively mild negative effects on this relatively larger waterway.
City officials say drinking water would not be affected, but shell-fishing in the immediate area may not be recommended.
The “explosion of water” occurred for at least an hour before it was turned off, say residents of San Marco Road about the sewage spill.
Bill and Sheila McManus say the neighborhood has been upset about the lift station for several weeks.
It’s very noisy, they said.
Douglass said the city was about two weeks over their estimate of how long it would take public works to complete the lift station upgrade.
The couple’s estimate was more like four weeks overdue, pointing out that the upgrade was to take three weeks, but turned into seven weeks and running.
The couple, part-time Maine residents, said the “explosion of sewage” wouldn’t prevent them from returning to the island.
City officials and workers from Southern Sanitation continued Friday to vacuum the sewage and sprinkle lime to assist with odor control and disinfect the area.
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Comments » 37
smiley writes:
Sure glad we have sewers now rather than those nasty septic systems.
marcoislandres writes:
Keep up the good work guys, in one hour you released more raw sewage in the canals then all the septic systems have in 30 years.
KatoMan writes:
Just one more reason for the Marco'ites to take over the LCEC!!!
Ya right!!!
playballonK writes:
I'm speechless, what a circus this city has turned into.
Hey, lets go buy the electric company
multi_million_heir writes:
how many unprotected workers are down there sloshing around in biohazards?
multi_million_heir writes:
hope our caves arent flooded.
marcoislandres writes:
I'm sure this is just an isolated indecent and will never happen again.
karenglaub writes:
I think it would take maybe 50 to 60 septic tanks to fail all at the same time to equal the mess the city created today.
bluebill2 writes:
8000 gallons of raw sewage into our water ways with relatively mild side effects,18,000 gallons spilled with NO HEALTH risk.Then why am i being charged 23,000$ to have my brand new septic system that never leaked a drop of poop replaced with this system. PLEASE DO TELL!
hourigan82247 writes:
Just pay your $23,000 and quit your crying, ya baby! This should bring the housing market back. Who wouldn't want to be exposed to E-coli? This is going to cause alot of disease on the Island. Death is near!!!!!!!!!!
smiley writes:
This is just a hint of things to come. Wait until the inevitable big hurricane hits and knocks out power for days or weeks. No pumps, no lift stations operating. Marco's waterways and our caves will become an environmental disaster.
dc5799 writes:
Picture this,
Sheepshead fish swimming in s--t on our Island Paradise.
Butch Neylon said this would happen and it did.Thank all of you who voted for the strp.
multi_million_heir writes:
these are the osha requirements associated with cleanup of raw sewage.
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadi...
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadi...
multi_million_heir writes:
while government employees are exempt, private sector employees are not.
ejburger writes:
I have truly enjoyed reading all of the cavedwellers blogs swelling with what they consider an "I told you so!" Good for the cavedwellers. All the same, I'm happy I'm on sewer; my septic tank leaked all the time and the smell was horiffic and I took good care of my septic tank. A sewer spill is serious business and I apologize for making light of it.
playballonK writes:
I have a great idea, howsa 'bout we send Lazarus, Aceri and the 'phoney' chamber of commerce, along w/ the 3K retards from the condos that helped vote in our current 'council of morons' to clean up the mess all by themselves.
SURE AM GLAD THIS STRP THING IS WORKING OUT!!!!!!
Thanks CONDO Retards for being DUPED into voting for ACERI'S IDIOTS!
marcobelle writes:
punitive? from the city of marco island? why, they are wonderful people who have never been vindictive. with only 2 code enforcement officers, they constantly say that they would never bother with small issues, like irrigation on the wrong days, or irrigating EVERY day, or washing boats and RVs in your drive if left for a couple of days...........
of course we will never hear how many septic tank failures in the last 5 years and/or how much sewage was ever released from septic tanks in 5 years. That's because it is less than 500 gallons, NOT 18,000 gallons in just a couple of hours.
loscabos writes:
This is the beginning of future spills that will eventually lead to beach closings. It happens in Lee and Charlotte counties too regularly. This is also the continuing of lies, (oohh to harsh),Deceptions by the Douglas/Joel PR Team. Hey...Have you ever heard of Beach Closings due to a septic back-up? I rest my case..
hourigan82247 writes:
loscabos... instead of resting your case ,why not just rest your brain. You don't know what you're talking about. beaches are closed every year for one reason or another. If you're that upset...grab a shovel and pitch in!
playballonK writes:
man, the predictions of Ed Foster ring loud like the overflow alarm on a sewerage pump station.
multi_million_heir writes:
playball, the silence of the pro sewer folks is deafening. however i do appreciate ej's honesty.
hourigan82247 writes:
B-O Wulf You seem to have all the answers. You should run for office and straighten the whole Island out. You have plenty of fingers to point so you're very qualified. And you seem to be very telligent!
dc5799 writes:
Where is Ed, Montel, Sailor? Ed tell us how lucky we are to have had 8000 gal. of raw sewage
dumped in our canal's
I'm sure there is a good side to this knowing how you calculate. Where is Wayne,Wayne,Wayne? All you condo people thank's a bunch.
shadow writes:
if i were the poor folks that had poop, toilet paper on my house and vehicles i would sue the pants off the city (US)...granted it was a complete accident but liability lies with the city and the contractor i think...these people have suffered and suffered with the fiasco in front of their house.
hourigan82247 writes:
And add to that the fact you're an extremely long-winded gas bag is another qualification.
MarcoJimbo writes:
Direct from South Park,Colorado: It's Mr.Hankey's Christmas Fountain! Sorry I missed it, maybe they can bring it back again next year.
cromagnon writes:
As a South Park fan it is Mr. Hinke and Cornwallis. Otherwise know with the initials of S.T. and R.J.
MarcoFacts writes:
Any sewage leak is dangerous and very unfortunate. The fact is that there are thousands of old and damaged septic tanks on the island that have leaked raw sewage into the canals for years. The anti-STRP people got a Christmas present to support their lost cause.
http://www.iaenvironment.org/Septic_T...
http://www.scrantontimes.com/articles...
There are literally thousands of articles like the ones above detailing the facts about leaking septic systems. But then again, facts don't seem to matter to the very loud vocal minority on Marco Island. Blog, write letters to the editor, claim victory all you want but the fact remains that that sewers are better than the old septic tanks and Marco Island will be sewered for best interest of our island.
multi_million_heir writes:
marcofacts, while all leaks are bad, the incident here shows the very real threat posed by releases of massive amounts of raw sewage into the environment. that is why there is a community right to know act h.r.2452 in legislation in washington right now. the driving force behind the legislation is that every year 850 billion gallons are leaked from municipal systems. as far as i know, there is no such legislation pending to deal with on lot systems. facts apparently are important to the folks in washington when it comes to protecting the citizens of this country.
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-...
27_Year_Resident writes:
Yes, the old sewer lines leaked, unfortunately this happens, worldwide. But the difference, as Marcofacts stated above, is that failing septic systems leak constantly and times that by the 1000's of faulty septic systems on the island we are far better off with sewers. The new sewer system will be far less likely to leak and will never cause a beach closing as the sewers are not attached to the storm water runoff system. Relish in your leaking sewage but know that we are better off with sewers.
multi_million_heir writes:
http://www.commondreams.org/news2008/...
ejburger writes:
Great article islandman4now but it simply says that sewer spills are dangerous and something must be done about it; I agree! The best solution is the most expensive solution, state of the art septic systems maintained and monitored quarterly. Unfortunately, this is a cost prohibitive solution. The septic tanks cost around $30 - $40k and cost another $2000 a year to maintain, but they are safe and very effective.
multi_million_heir writes:
ej, here is an article from the university of minnesota. when i lived up yonder the state i was in was involved with permitting alternative systems working alongside the rural electric co op. the system in minn. was needed because the site had a high water table. the box on the left of the article explains the cost and maintenance needed for this system. initial cost $5400 dollars. one hour maintenance per month and annual pump and clean. they also provide a box that shows other options in the 13 - 22 thousand dollar range with annual maintenance 500-1000 or roughly the cost of hook up here on the high end of the estimate. the article is from 2000 so costs may be slighly higher. the state i was in had a lot of clay that was conventional or sand mound prohibitive so affordable low maintenance alternative sources were permitted by the DEP after extensive testing thus opening up more land for development. i was unable to locate costs online for those systems but recall they were in the 10k range.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribu...
multi_million_heir writes:
ej, just one more thing. do you recall when the island lost water pressure from a power loss? that sort of catastrophic failure, which can occur as it did, will leave the city without the means of processing waste from up to 30-50000 people on the island. i have an extensive water and wastewater treatment background and maintain the highest levels of licensing for the same in multiple states.
TheVoice writes:
Everyone with negative I told you so comments need to get your head out of your backsides and get the facts before you start burning people at the stake the system that failed was a temporary portable system being used to move the waste water through the force main system while rehabilatation was being performed on the existing lift station in the area such a malfunction as occured on the temp system is not likely to happen on a permanent station, you cave dwellers are crazy maybe we should blame your stupidity on your parents for not teaching you fact from fiction....
smiley writes:
Hey TheVoice:
Have another glass of City Council Kool-Aid.
shadow writes:
hey the voice...everyone knows why the thing spewed poop...a flange separated....who cares why...point is it happened and the poor folks got pooped! city needs to make some sort of retribution... be careful who you blame what on.
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