Clean Water for Bradenton
Problem
As part of our Sick of Sewage campaign, we identified Bradenton as one of the cities in need of repair. For the past five years the city of Bradenton had illegally bypassed at least 160 million gallons of wastewater away from full treatment before discharging it into the Manatee River. Also during that time frame, the City discharged millions more gallons of reclaimed and raw sewage from its aging sewage system, which is plagued by structural deficiencies. Wastewater systems and water infrastructure are woefully outdated in too many communities throughout Florida. The historic lack of investment in our infrastructure harms the health of our communities and waterways.
Win
The City of Bradenton has committed to performing $220,000 in oyster restoration in the Manatee River as part of its Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP), along with making much-needed upgrades to its wastewater and sewage treatment system. The settlement includes firm deadlines for improvements to the sewage treatment plant, addressing issues in the collection system, an update to capacity management programs, and a website providing public information on water quality. Suncoast Waterkeeper's legal action has resulted in critical upgrades to sewage systems throughout Tampa and Sarasota Bay estuaries.