ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFTS) — Neighbors living near the San Martin Boulevard Bridge in St. Pete will have to get used to construction for the next year or two.
The city has fast-tracked a project scheduled for 2025 to replace aging wastewater pipes nearby.
That's because, over the weekend, a broken main dumped more than 10,000 gallons of wastewater into Riviera Bay.
John Palenchar, the City of St. Pete Water Resource Director, says the issue began Friday.
"There was bubbling water. A resident called to inform us of the bubbling water. We dug down on it, but there was a lot of debris, and we couldn't get to the pipe," he said.
However, a line break in the main sent 800 gallons of wastewater throughout Tallahassee Dr., and 600 gallons ended up in Riviera Bay.
The next day, another 10,000 gallons continued to spill into the water while crews tried to contain the leak.
To put it into perspective, 2 million gallons of wastewater flows through those pipes a day.
"When we had the pumping operations, it was based off of the flow at that time, and there was a spike in flow that occurred, and within 10 minutes, the hole filled up faster than anybody could really react," he added.
The city is now fast-tracking permanent repairs, embarking two years ahead of schedule.
RELATED: 10,000 gallons of wastewater spills into Riviera Bay while crews fix sewer line
"Aging infrastructure is a national challenge. This section of pipe was installed in the 1960s. And about a mile of it right here along San Martin Boulevard was budgeted for replacement at one point in time for a cost of about $3 million. This project is being accelerated. And rather than patching a section of the pipe, a complete replacement of a pipe is going to be performed," he said.
Meantime, the city is also conducting water quality testing. They're advising people to stay off of Riviera Bay and nearby waterways until testing indicates it's safe to do so.
Despite the warning, we talked to Jan Huisman as he was finishing up a kayak along Weedon Island.
"It is obviously something that shouldn't happen in the first place. But you know, with water that is this big, 10,000 gallons, probably manageable," he said. "I don't know the exact math. I just know that there's a hell of a lot of water here, you know, continuously going in and out. So it'll be watered down. It doesn't concern me too much."
Florida Gulf Coast University Professor Don Duke specialized in water resources and pollution control. He told me that while 10,000 gallons is small compared to how much is actually in the waterways, it's still better to avoid the water.
"Anytime there's a spill of human waste, of course, there's the biggest concern of possible transmission of disease, so people shouldn't swim in that water," he explained.
There are also potential impacts to the water quality.
"Nutrients are things that appear in the waste of any organism, humans, and anything else. And that's one way in which those nutrients get cycled back into the environment. So a large pulse at once can lead to things like algal blooms, and some of them just might be harmful," he said.
But 10,000 gallons isn't a lot compared to the depths of Riviera Bay. Does the amount make a difference?
"It depends on the immediate receiving water. If it's an enclosed little area, if it's shallow, if it isn't well flushed by tides, all those sorts of things that couldn't hang around for a while, and that would be unfortunate for the receiving water and for any humans who use it," he explained.
The city is conducting water quality tests. They believe the water should be safe within the next two to three days. You can find the most recent information on the water quality here.
The repairs on the pipe in the neighborhood are estimated to take about a year or two.
