The city of St. Peterburg, Florida, announced on September 26, 2024, that the decision has been made to turn off power at the Northeast Sewer Treatment Plant to protect the plant from unprecedented storm surge from Hurricane Helene.
Residents and businesses located north of 30th Avenue N and east of I-275/Haines Road are impacted by this situation.
A St. Peterburg press releases stated that this is the only facility the city anticipates being affected by storm surge.
Impacted residents and businesses are advised not to drain water, take showers, do laundry or flush toilets. Draining water will cause sewage to back up into homes and businesses.
The plant was shut down temporarily due to the high levels of storm surge and to ensure the safety and sustainability of sewer services post-storm.
The city expects that it will take at least a minimum of 48 hours to resume plant operations after it’s turned off. City staff will need to carefully inspect the plant to be sure it can be safely restarted and make any repairs, if necessary, before resuming operations.
The city has noted that drinking water has not been shut off, and that running water is still accessible. The city also stated that it is critical to not drain water out of sinks, tubs or toilets.
The city stated in the press release that they are currently informing impacted residents and businesses of the sewer service disruption. St. Pete Fire Rescue made contact with all special needs facilities in the impacted area.
Crews are monitoring impacts to the plant and standing by to resume service as soon as possible.
