Broken sewer line repaired. County not sure how much sewage spilled

The cause of a stinky situation this week in Bradenton has been repaired, though it’s unclear how exactly how much wastewater overflowed or if any nearby bodies of water were affected.

The overflow caused by the force main break at Cortez Road and 66th Street West was contained by 7 a.m. Thursday. An hour later, the repairs to the main break were completed, Amy Pilson, Manatee County Utilities Public Affairs Liaison, said in an email to update Manatee County commissioners.

The force main break occurred around 10 p.m. Monday as crews were attempting to replace the cast iron pipe installed more than 40 years ago that services the west side of Bradenton from Cortez to Anna Maria Island.

Final estimates of how much sewage was spilled are being calculated. On Wednesday, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection initially estimated that at least 1.5 million gallons of wastewater were released.

Trucks were able to collect overflow from the surrounding areas and return it to the system as part of mitigation efforts.

Repairs to the intersection of Cortez and 66th Street, however, could take a couple of days, Pilson’s email noted.

“Crews are working to restore the intersection for use as soon as possible. (There is a large cavity that will need to be filled, so it may take a couple of days to have it returned to normal),” the email states.

Bodies of water that could have been affected, such as Palma Sola Bay, will be sampled for testing, according to the email. Warning signs have already been placed in areas that could be or were affected until tests show the waters have returned to normal ranges.

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 1:09 PM with the headline "Broken sewer line repaired. County not sure how much sewage spilled."