As Irma hit Florida, wastewater treatment failed

Nearly 100 million gallons of sewage and treated or partially treated wastewater overflowed at utility plants across Florida after Hurricane Irma moved ashore and across the state last week.

The exact amount may never be known, but utilities reported more than 500 wastewater releases to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, blaming them on Irma’s widespread power outages, surging oceans and rivers and heavy rainfall that overwhelmed sewage systems statewide.

At least 84 million gallons of raw sewage, untreated wastewater, partially treated wastewater and storm water flowed from manholes, sewer mains and lift stations in the seven days after Irma crossed the state. In some cases the wastewater spilled onto the ground, or flowed into homes or businesses. In other cases it flowed into nearby ponds, lakes and waterways. 

The amount is at least three times the wastewater spilled or accidentally released in Hurricane Matthew's aftermath in October 2016. Some 200 incidents reported after Irma listed the amount spilled as unknown. 

"That's a lot of wastewater," said Keith Riger, public services director for DeLand. "But when you put it into context across the state, it's not as bad as it may sound."

Riger and others pointed out it's only a fraction of the 2.5 billion gallons of wastewater treated on a daily basis by the 2,000 wastewater treatment plants found throughout the state. 

Others think the number of spills is too high and wonder why more can't be done to safeguard the systems. 

New Smyrna Beach resident David Fain is one of many who have complained about smelling foul odors while outdoors over the past week. After walking his dog near Turnbull Creek last week, Fain went back later trying to discover the source of the odor.

"It was so strong. It smelled like raw sewage," said Fain, adding that he's also seen fish gasping for air in some of the creeks.

"I know they're allowed a certain amount of sewage, but they should have a backup plan when the power goes out," said Fain, a data specialist and outdoor photographer. "I know it will cost more, but if it keeps the environment clean, I think it's worth it."

The foul odors wafting across the state could be the result of a number of things, including rotting debris and standing floodwater, as well as the wastewater spills, said Dee Ann Miller, a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection.

"Residents and visitors in areas affected by the hurricane are encouraged to continue to protect themselves and their families from potential health risks that may be presented by contaminated floodwaters and storm water by staying out of them," Miller said. "Floodwaters may contain bacteria or other potential contaminants from sewer overflows, septic tanks or agricultural or industrial waste. As we continue to respond to the impacts of this storm event, safety is our first and foremost concern."

Cascading problems

The wastewater releases began when Irma started knocking out electricity. But in their reports to the state about the releases and any cleanups that took place, utilities also describe a range of troubles from downed lines and uprooted trees to failed backup generators and flooded manholes. 

Even though the utilities report the discharges as untreated or partially treated wastewater, in many cases across the state the overflows are actually wastewater mixed with large amounts of storm water, said Richard Adams, utility director for Palm Coast.

By design, the pipes and pumps that daily deliver millions of gallons of water flushed from the toilets, bathtubs and washing machines of Floridians to treatment tanks and ponds allow air to escape, especially in older systems, utilities officials said. Because many of the systems aren’t airtight, they’re not watertight either.

“So as soon as you have flooding, you have submerged things like manholes, manhole covers and clean-out caps that have been mowed over," Adams said. “You have all these opportunities for storm water to enter the sanitary sewer systems."

Utilities say this is less of a problem with newer, upgraded systems. 

Most local governments rely on a complex network of lift stations to move all that wastewater around. When the electricity goes out, the stations stop. In Irma's aftermath, utilities officials say employees worked around the clock, juggling generators and portable pumps among the lift stations trying to ensure the wastewater continued flowing through their systems.

But wastewater releases were reported in 39 of Florida’s 67 counties. Polk County reported the largest number, 52, and the largest volume, 30.5 million gallons, over several days. Orange County reported roughly 10 million gallons released. Lift station failures at an Ormond Beach wastewater treatment plant helped boost Volusia County to one of the top 10 with the most releases. 

Utility after utility described pumps overwhelmed with three to four times the normal amount of liquid that flows through the systems. 

For example, Ormond Beach typically treats about 4.3 million gallons of wastewater a day. During Hurricane Irma, more than 7 million gallons of water a day was surging through the city's treatment systems, said Dave Ponitz, utilities manager. 

The increased water was a combination of high groundwater infiltrating older pipes and surface water that flowed over manholes, Ponitz said.

Ormond Beach reported four releases, all for treated wastewater, for a total of 2,016,400 gallons, 2 million of that was an overflow of fully treated wastewater at the city's wastewater treatment plant. The wastewater intermingled with stormwater and flowed into Thompson Creek, which eventually flows into the Tomoka River. In one of the smaller incidents, a pipe ruptured for an unknown reason. 

'Didn't get to in time'

Edgewater and many utilities rely on electric power to move sewage and wastewater, said Randy Coslow, city engineer and deputy director of environmental services. “When we have no electric power, we rely on other means, generators and portable pumps and that kind of thing.

“It’s a large logistics operation," he added, "and every community in Florida that has a sewage system has to do the same thing." Edgewater reported a 2,000-gallon accidental release of raw sewage, typically referred to in the industry as untreated wastewater, and about 250 gallons in several smaller releases. 

In Flagler County, Palm Coast experienced similar troubles, urging its residents to reduce their water consumption immediately after the storm to reduce the demands on their system. 

The DEP's Miller said the state has made it a priority to get utilities to prepare before a storm hits to try to minimize the impacts. And the department works with emergency response agencies, Miller said, to inspect every incident to assess potential impacts and cleanup. 

In DeLand, where three spills were reported, the city will learn from the experience "and try to avoid it in the future," Riger said. At least 2,000 gallons of untreated wastewater were released. More than three-quarters of the city's 120 sewage pumping stations were without power at the same time, he said. The city has standby generators at a lot of the stations and, like Edgewater, has crews running trucks and generators between the rest. 

"Some, we just didn't get to in time," he said. Crews couldn't reach some of the plants because downed trees blocked their access. "We regret that any of it happened," he said. "We will take measures to try to prevent this from happening again." 

For DeLand, the wastewater system's performance during Irma was an improvement from the hurricanes of 2004, which led the city to "harden its systems," Riger said. 

Similarly, Daytona Beach went to work on its systems after releasing more than 14 million gallons in the days after Hurricane Matthew last October. This time, the city reported no releases. 

Generators at the city's two wastewater plants were fired up before power was lost, city spokeswoman Susan Cerbone said. "Also, field operations crews worked around the clock to operate portable generators at the 13 lift stations without generators to pump sewage until power was restored."

The state requires emergency pumping capability for all pump stations, but the rules vary. Stations that pump through pipes 12 inches in size or larger must have uninterrupted capability, including an onsite generator. Other pump stations may be handled through portable generators and pumping equipment.

"Our first priority is always to work with utilities to identify any releases and get them stopped," Miller said. The state will be checking on those cases where cleanups were required. Any violations would be determined in the coming weeks. Some of those may require restoration and or monitoring, while others, if they are repeat violations, might result in penalties. 

Anyone aware of an unreported wastewater spill should contact the State Watch Office at 800-320-0519 or their utility, Miller said. Fish kills should be reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish Kill Hotline at 800-636-0511.