Originally published on Boca Beacon by Garland Pollard on September 6, 2024
A half-million gallons of rainy sewage leaked onto the Gasparilla Island Water Authority plant grounds after Hurricane Debby. The spill was at 2:05 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5. It did not go into the Bayou or Cross Island Canal, nor did it hit the golf course or GIWA retention pond.
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The Wastewater Malfunction Abnormal Event Report form showed the official discharge as 534,000 gallons. Debby passed by Gasparilla Island and hit the Steinhatchee area at 7 a.m. on Aug. 5, 2024.
The Boca Beacon was alerted to the spill by Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce, who received the email about it on Aug. 29 from the state. Bolton said that he had reported the spill by phone, as is required if the spill is over 1,000 gallons. He also followed up on Aug. 6 by email and letter.
The issue was that the state reporting system only triggers a warning blast when items are entered electronically. It was the updating of that information that triggered the warning notice to the public.
Original Story