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Sewage may have spilled into lake

Clearwater has ordered people to stay away from Alligator Lake indefinitely. If Wednesday's sewage spill contaminated the lake, it could be toxic to humans.

By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published May 20, 2006

CLEARWATER - More than 410,000 gallons of raw sewage may have poured into Alligator Lake, city officials warned on Friday, the result of a construction mishap that now threatens a popular fishing spot and bird sanctuary.

Officials from Clearwater and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection are unsure of the damage to the lake, which feeds into Tampa Bay.

Initial tests Friday showed concentrated levels of fecal matter near where the sewage entered Alligator Creek, which feeds into the lake.

The sewage could be toxic to humans, officials say, and create a dangerous algae bloom for wildlife. At 410,000 gallons, the sewage would fill two-thirds of a 50-meter Olympic swimming pool, or an entire elevated water storage tank.

Clearwater has ordered people away from Alligator Lake indefinitely.

"It's a serious incident," said Clearwater utilities director Andy Neff.

Road crews working nearby on McMullen-Booth Road caused the spill Wednesday, when they knocked a manhole cover into the sewer pipe, busting it open. Utilities workers were able to reroute some of the sewage, but much spilled onto the roadway near State Road 590, eventually running into Alligator Creek and then Alligator Lake.

The Florida DEP was monitoring the situation Friday, but did not know the extent of the problem.

"It's really hard to say, it really depends what got into the water," said local DEP spokeswoman Pamela Vasquez. "We'll wait and see what the tests find, and then we'll go from there."

Test results delivered late Friday said fecal counts were well within normal levels except where the sewage entered the water. City officials said more test results would be available over the weekend.

City officials think the sewage will dissipate naturally over several days.

"It would have been a lot worse had we not diverted a lot of the flow," Neff, the city's utilities director, said. "The number would have been a lot higher."

Besides the impact on Alligator Lake, the spill could also have adverse effects on Tampa Bay, since the lake spills into the larger body of water, said Holly Greening, a senior scientist with Tampa Bay Estuary. Algae blooms could drain the water of oxygen, potentially killing fish. The algae bloom could also block sunlight from reaching vital sea grasses.

Still, the spill is not catastrophic, Greening said, noting that "410,000 gallons sounds like a lot and it is, but we have had a lot worse over the years."

[Last modified May 20, 2006, 01:58:12]