Holmes Beach residents bordering Spring Lake woke up to an unexpected surprise Oct. 27. They discovered dead fish and murky water bordering their property.
“It was devastating,” resident Melissa Williams said. When she noticed the dead fish, she contacted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Testing by the FWC and Florida Department of Environmental Protection determined the water was polluted.
Meanwhile, Holmes Beach code enforcement officer JT Thomas learned employees of American Beauty Pools, working on two pools at 307 Clark Drive, were improperly disposing of water polluted with hydrochloric acid. They were draining pool water into Spring Lake rather than through the stormwater system.
While water testing showed the pool acid was not the cause of the fish kill, this was the second infraction for improper disposal by the company at the site.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said authorities are “reviewing enforcement acts” that can be taken for the pool company violations.
The source of pollution for the lake was a leak at a Manatee County Utilities Department wastewater lift station at 68th Street and Palm Drive. According to the Nov. 5 county report on the incident, the break occurred when the weight of a stormwater drain placed on top caused the main sewer pipe to rupture.
By the time the break was discovered, an estimated 22,000 gallons of contaminated waste water leaked into the lake, which feeds into Tampa Bay through the Grand Canal, a wide canal that leads to Tampa Bay at 66th Street, behind Gloria Dei Lutheran Church.
The amount of waste that seeped into local waters is equivalent to about two-and-a-half fuel-tanker trucks, which hold about 9,000 gallons each.
According to Frank McCloy of the FWC, the fish killed by the polluted water were mostly mullet, snook and red drum.
County workers placed signs at the perimeter of the lake Oct. 29 to warn residents to avoid contact with the contaminated water. The signs listed a phone number where a recorded message advised people not to swim, bathe or fish in the water. The message also states people should avoid drinking the water and eating fish harvested from the lake.
According to Williams, who resides on property bordering the lake, no notice was given.
According to Andre Rachmaninoff, the county wastewater compliance superintendent, repairs were completed on the lift station Oct. 28.
At Islander press time, the cleanup continued.
According to the county report, the cleanup includes vacuuming the wastewater that collected on the ground and applying lime to the area.
Water samples show the main point of contamination was the lake, with smaller concentrations of pollutants discovered where the lake drains into the 66th Street canal.
As of Nov. 5, the lake and the water flowing from it to the canal showed greatly reduced amounts of contaminants.
The warning signs were removed Nov. 6.
“We’re working with the county to resolve all of the issues,” Thomas said.
“I think people need to be held accountable for the cleanup,” Williams said, adding she’d like to see the lake restocked with fish. “It’s a little ecosystem.”
Williams swam in the lake July 4 but said she’ll never swim in it again. “I hope they don’t limit their cleanup effort to picking up dead fish,” she said.
Got questions?
For more information about the incident at Spring Lake and water quality there, contact Manatee County Utilities Department at 941-792-8811.