News

Actions

150,000 gallons of wastewater overflows into Tallahassee neighborhood

Wastewater
Posted at 12:05 PM, Oct 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-11 08:09:56-04

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Officials say a pump station in the Summerbrook area lost power Wednesday afternoon, causing 150,000 gallons of untreated wastewater to overflow onto land and into a nearby stormwater management system. 

The Florida Department of Environment Protection says pump station 94 in the 200 block Summerbrooke Drive lost power around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday.

The backup generator failed due to a program panel malfunction and, due to storm conditions, staff were not able to restart the generator.

As a result, an estimated 150,000 gallons of untreated domestic wastewater overflowed onto land surface and into the nearby stormwater management system known as Lake Holley.

They say recovery was not possible due to critical staffing needs due to the storm. On top of that, the area received over 2.5 inches of rain, which  diluted the overflow.

Officials say the incident was reported to State Warning Point, DEP and Department of Health.