Lawsuit aims to put a stop to Bradenton’s sewage spills into Manatee River
A group of environmental conservation activists announced Friday their intention to sue the city of Bradenton over its history of sewage leaks into the Manatee River.
Pointing to the city’s own reports of sewage spills and leaks over the past four years, the lawsuit alleges “serious and ongoing violations” of the federal Clean Water Act. Similar lawsuits have resulted in settlements in Sarasota County and the city of St. Petersburg.
“Bradenton’s sewage woes are unfortunate and follow a familiar pattern of municipalities neglecting critical environmental infrastructure,” said Justin Bloom, founder of Suncoast Waterkeeper. “We hope that Bradenton will follow the path of the other municipalities that we’ve sued and focus their attention on fixing the problems and reducing the sewage pollution that plagues our waterways.”
Reached for comment, the city of Bradenton declined to comment on the lawsuit announcement.
“City officials are in the process of reviewing this information, and we don’t comment on pending litigation,” said Jeannie Roberts, the city’s public information officer.
30 million gallons spilled
The Clean Water Act prevents municipalities from releasing wastewater into certain bodies of water without a permit. When spills do occur, city leaders voluntarily report them to a public database hosted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Based on the city’s own reports, at least 30 million gallons of raw sewage have been spilled into the Manatee River since July 2017.
Those spills were often caused by equipment malfunctions, city staff reported to the state’s top environmental agency. According to a press release, the environmental groups hope that the lawsuit brings attention to the city’s wastewater system.
“Bradenton’s sewage spills pose a serious public health risk in exposing members of the public to sewage-borne pathogens and various toxic pollutants,” Annie Beaman, director of advocacy and outreach with the Our Children’s Earth Foundation, said in a statement provided to the Bradenton Herald.
“This pollution also harms aquatic wildlife and degrades fragile ecosystems,” she added. “The Manatee River cannot take it, and people deserve clean water. It is time for the city to prioritize water quality. If we invest in clean water now, we can avoid much higher costs to people and the environment in the future.”
The spills have contributed to the Manatee River’s lower water quality, activists say. The raw and partially treated sewage includes high levels of nitrogen, one of the nutrients that fuels harmful algae blooms like red tide.
“We just endured an incredibly difficult summer, where we witnesses red tide kill large quantities of marine life. If we don’t fix these problems, we’re likely to ensure more pain in perpetuity. Red tide and contamination (are) hurting our local economy, much of which relies on our waterways,” said Glenn Compton, chairman of the ManaSota-88 environmental group that is also part of the lawsuit.
‘Invest in infrastructure and water quality’
In similar lawsuits, municipalities have been willing to settle the case by committing to infrastructure improvements. While sewage overflows are not exclusive to Bradenton, Bloom explained that the groups chose to file a lawsuit due to the city’s frequency of spills. Bradenton reported at least 18 spills reported to FDEP since July 2017.
“In no way is our effort punitive. We hope for it to be a collaborative one for them to better invest in infrastructure and water quality,” Bloom said in an interview with the Bradenton Herald. “(Tampa Bay) and the (Manatee River) can only take so much. This is at a tipping point and Bradenton has to do their part.”
In Bloom’s other local cases, settlement agreements have resulted in municipalities promising to improve faulty systems, including an investigation of the issues and a schedule to ensure compliance. The agreements also usually involve the municipality paying for a project that benefits the local environment, instead of a fine.
If a settlement is not reached within 60 days, the groups plan to file their lawsuit in federal court, according to a press release. It’s unclear what approach the city will take, but Bloom said he hopes to be part of the solution.
“I would love to be able to work collaboratively with (city leaders) to address the issues,” he said. “I hope the city council, after becoming informed about them, would be helpful.”
