More than 1.5 million gal of wastewater was released into the environment
A review of JEA Environmental's Incident Reports found 57 known pollution incidents in Jacksonville, Fla., during Hurricane Irma. More than 1.5 million gal of sewage and wastewater were released into the environment.
A pump station in Jacksonville lost power and released 107,000 gal of sewage into the street and neighboring yards. The spill was just one of scores of leaks of wastewater and raw sewage into streets, lakes, rivers and neighborhoods, described in pollution filings compiled by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Power outage, equipment failure and water intake are listed as the three primary causes for the discharges.
JEA CEO Paul McElroy said the sewer system processed 600 million gal of sewage during the four hours of the storm. “That is double our normal capacity,” he said. Much of the overflow ended up in a tributary to Fisher Creek, which flows about a block down the street from the pump station.
