***NEWS RELEASE***
At 2:42pm, Monday, October 2nd, City of Tallahassee staff notified City Commissioners that “...approximately 970,000 gallons were released…” during the massive sewage overflow near the intersection of Capital Circle NE and Mahan Drive the prior day on Sunday, October 1st. Additionally, as a result:
“-2105 Capital Circle NE – approximately 700 gallons overflowed from a manhole
-Pump station 84 (approximately ¼ mile SW of 5188 Centerville Rd) – Approximately 23,000 gallons entered a stormwater ditch and entered a dry stormwater pond where the spilled volume was contained and fully recovered.
-2054 Doomar Drive – Approximately 25 gallons was released from the service lateral cleanout”
However, has transparency been provided to local news organizations of these certainly one million gallons of raw sewage spill events to inform the citizens of Tallahassee and Leon County?
Although the Tallahassee Sewage and Wakulla Basin Advocacy Group (Advocacy Group) greatly appreciates the enormous effort City staff exhibited to stop Sunday’s sewage spill and repair street damage, increased transparency is what I and the Advocacy Group have been urging City Commissioners for over three (3) years as raw sewage spills occur, plus, transparency on:
-Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) enforcement new and existing consent orders
-status of contaminated sites around the city and Leon County
-sampling and analysis of the 40 acre sediment disposal site immediately north of the shores of Lake Munson
-sampling and analysis to determine the sources of nutrient and toxic contaminants going to Lake Muson
-disclosure of consent orders in state and national awards applications
-disclosure of consent orders in new and annual reports to bond holders
When is the City Commission going to be more transparent to the public AND create new policies to be more transparent to its citizens? Did the City’s Public Relations Department issue a news release after the 2:42pm, Monday, October 2nd staff disclosure of this million gallon sewage spill? If not, why not? If so, I wish to make a Public Records Request of it.
Equally concerning is WHY did this massive sewage spill occur, plus, what path did it take to, apparently, enter Weems Pond, the head waters of Upper Lake Lafayette? When is the pristine pond in the Evening Rose subdivision going to be cleaned up and the stench throughout the neighborhood eliminated?
Although requested, water quality test results have not, yet, been received from city staff, nor have assurances been received that water sampling will occur into Upper Lake Lafayette.
Likewise, are the hundreds if not thousands of new sewer connections at developments such as Canopy and others in Northeast Tallahassee, plus, the much needed, job creator, Amazon Fulfillment Center with its over 1,000 new employees in one location, put a strain on an already aging sewage collection system? What is the status of the City’s Input/Infiltration consulting project started three years ago at the Advocacy Group’s urging which identified an average of 2 million gallons of water infiltrating the aging sewage collection system DAILY? This plus periodic rain falls can overwhelm the system causing massive sewage spills on streets and into residential yards.
The Advocacy Group and at least the thousands of citizens this communication is going to would like to know. This news release can be shared.
Videos related to the sewage spill can be found at our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/412536726345011
Lastly, if you haven’t signed the Lake Munson Restoration Petition, please go to and share at: (https://www.change.org/RestoreLakeMunson
Thanks,
J. Terry Ryan- Co-Founder of Tallahassee Sewage and Wakulla Basin Advocacy Group