Bradenton settles sewage lawsuit, promising to prevent more spills into Manatee River
Update 5/31/22: Bradenton officials recently voted to approve a settlement with Suncoast Waterkeeper. The legal settlement requires city leaders to spend about $7.8 million toward improving the wastewater treatment system and $220,000 on a project to improve local water quality. Suncoast Waterkeeper will continue to monitor the city’s progress on the settlement requirements, which include financial penalties for noncompliance.
The city of Bradenton is preparing to settle a lawsuit using nearly $8 million in federal stimulus money from the American Rescue Plan to improve a long-plagued sewer system.
Suncoast Waterkeeper, a local environmental conservation group, sued Bradenton in January for releasing too much pollution into the Manatee River. As part of the proposed settlement agreement, the city will be required to spend the money on significant upgrades to its water treatment facilities.
The lawsuit highlighted “serious and ongoing violations” of the federal Clean Water Act. Over the past five years, Bradenton spilled at least 30 million gallons of raw sewage into the Manatee River, according to data the city submitted to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
“We have a permit to put that water in the river, but a few days a year, we exceed that permit. That is the subject matter of the lawsuit against us,” City Administrator Rob Perry said. “If you exceed that permit, you’re polluting — and we are. It’s difficult to argue that because it’s our data.”
The issue stems from a wastewater treatment system that gets overwhelmed by heavy rainfall. During large storms, rainwater tends to enter the system and cause the wastewater plant to overflow, sending raw and partially treated sewage into the river.
Speaking with the Bradenton City Council last week, Perry explained how the city is nearing a settlement agreement with Suncoast Waterkeeper. The city will receive nearly $11 million in stimulus funds, with most of it going toward sewer improvements.
“If it’s going to tax our grandchildren, it needs to do something for them,” Mayor Gene Brown said. “This is a great way to create a wastewater plant and infrastructure system that’s better for a lot of years to come.”
In a press release announcing the lawsuit, environmental groups said their goal was to spur the city into making the repairs necessary to prevent further pollution.
“Bradenton’s sewage woes are unfortunate and follow a familiar pattern of municipalities neglecting critical environmental infrastructure,” Justin Bloom, founder of Suncoast Waterkeeper, said at the time. “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.”
Speaking with the Herald recently, Bloom gave the city credit for agreeing to tackle the problem. Suncoast Waterkeeper has sued other local municipalities that opted for drawn-out legal battles. Bradenton’s approach has been “refreshing,” he said.
“The city is certainly taking this seriously, and we appreciate how they’ve responded,” said Bloom. “I think they care about water quality and want to make sure they are in compliance with their permit and protect their local waterways.”
As part of the proposed settlement, the city will be required to put together a comprehensive wastewater management plan that involves replacing aging sewer pipes and upgrading the current wastewater treatment facility.
Bradenton officials voted to approve a spending plan for the $10.8 million the city will receive from the American Rescue Plan. The city expects to approve the settlement agreement in the coming months.
- $1.1 million for drainage improvements in East Bradenton
- $300,000 for cyber security upgrades
- $32,792 for agenda management software
- $75,000 for Community Oriented Policing (COP) House
This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
