Wastewater spills from Debby's flooding causing water quality concerns

Water quality concerns after Debby

Concerns over water quality in the Tampa Bay area are rising after Debby inundated the region with rain.

TAMPA, Fla. - Concerns over water quality in the Tampa Bay area are rising after Hurricane Debby inundated the region with rain.

The storm caused flooding and wastewater spills from Tampa to Sarasota.

A lot of that water was dumped into waterways, which contributes to major long-term water quality issues.

Advocates around the Bay Area say the issues with stormwater and wastewater dumping have reached a tipping point for the waterways and ecosystem.

"Our beautiful waterways are what attracts people here," Capt. Dylan Hubbard, with Hubbard’s Marina, said.

The region’s economy relies on the water, from tourism, to local business, to daily activities for residents.

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"Whether it's recreational anglers, charter captains, families bringing their kids to playgrounds by the water, restaurant owners, visitors, river walkers," Tampa Bay Waterkeeper Exec. Director Justin Tramble said.

Advocates say the future of Tampa Bay’s waterways and ecosystem could be in jeopardy if this pollution continues.

"We can't just be okay with dumping millions of gallons of waste into our bay," Tramble said.

Tramble said they saw water quality issues before the storm.

"We test the water in the Tampa Bay area biweekly," Tramble said. "So, every other week for fecal indicator bacteria. And I know, the data that we shared a few days before the storm showed that all of our sites tested high for fecal indicator bacteria."

Hubbard says wastewater spills and stormwater flooding can cause long-term problems.

"So when we have a west wind, when we have the sewage spills, when we have the right salinity levels, you have all three variables that you need," Hubbard said. "You have a powder keg. And now we're just holding lighter fluid and a lighter to it."

The livelihoods of captains depend on clean and healthy waterways.

"I've been guiding in Tampa Bay for going on about 17 years full-time," Captain Jason Dozier said. "So, that's taking people fishing, duck hunting, to sandbars. Basically, anything you can do on the water on a boat."

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Environmental advocates say wastewater and stormwater can kill off or drive away wildlife, cause algae blooms, make red tide worse and pollute the water to a level where it’s not safe to swim in.

"You'll see shifts in bait, shifts in fish activity," Dozier said. "You know, everything wants to be away from this water that's coming out."

Captain Jason Dozier says the water quality issues have reached a breaking point.

"To the point where it's like, I don't know if I'd be able to operate my business here," Dozier said.

Advocates and captains point to the extreme growth across the region. They say the wastewater infrastructure hasn’t kept up with the growth the area continues to see.

They want wastewater infrastructure improvements to be a priority before the damage to the environment is irreparable.

"We do need to have patience," Hubbard said. "We do need to have some reality checks in this process. I get it and it is very expensive, but I, personally, want to see motion forward. I want to see every municipality budgeting. For that, we need to have a conversation around smart growth."

The city of Tampa has invested more than $1 billion in a 20-year wastewater infrastructure plan. The city says the last five years of work have proven to help minimize and prevent spills, and officials say the improvements will continue over the next 15 years.

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