The leak has been repaired, but the warning signs may be posted at the Davis Islands beach for about a week.
By RON MATUS
Published August 15, 2003
Health warnings for swimmers were posted at the Davis Islands beach Monday after a stream of raw sewage leaked into a canal.
The leak, next to a lift station near Suwanee Circle, was discovered Sunday and repaired Tuesday. The beach next to the Seaplane Basin is 2 miles from the leak, but water samples taken Monday by Hillsborough County health officials showed high levels of potentially harmful bacteria.
Beachgoers were left scratching their heads.
"I was going to wade in until I saw (the warning signs)," said Norm Conrad, 61, standing on the white sand in shorts and flip-flops Tuesday morning. "I don't think my feet deserve to be treated like that."
Health officials said the advisory will be lifted once bacteria levels drop. They expected signs will remain posted at the beach for a week.
Tampa's wastewater director, Ralph Metcalf, estimated the size of the leak at "several hundred thousand gallons." A typical backyard swimming pool holds 13,000 gallons.
The source of the problem: a corroded section of a 12-inch diameter pipe.
Workers dug 15 feet to remove the pipe, then patched the corroded section, Metcalf said. In coming days, corrosion experts will examine the rusted-out portion and determine whether more work is needed.
City officials passed out several hundred letters door to door, explaining what happened and advising residents to keep kids and pets out of the canal near Suwanee Circle.
Neighbors closest to the leak said neither noise nor odors had been a problem. But at least one angry parent complained at a Davis Islands Civic Association meeting Tuesday that the city's notification didn't come soon enough. His children went swimming in the canal after the leak.
The civic association passed a resolution asking the city to speed up notification in future emergencies.
The leak marks the second major sewage incident on Davis Islands this year.
In February, city workers stacked 6,000 sand bags along Cayuga Avenue when it appeared a sewage pipe carrying 10-million gallons a day might burst. The conduit was reportedly damaged during an unsuccessful attempt to lay a wastewater pipe under Seddon Channel, as part of the city's STAR (South Tampa Area Reclaimed) water project.
This week's leak was unrelated to the STAR project.
