The City of Douglas has announced that over 7,000 gallons of wastewater has spilled into an unnamed tributary of the Seventeen Mile River.
The city’s statement says that the spill occurred between 6:40 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. Heavy rains caused the spill, according to the city. The spill occurred at the Lift Station located inside the wastewater treatment plant at 622 Iron Road. Approximately 7,875 gallons were reported. As a precaution, it is recommended that there be no contact with the affected stream water until after March 10, 2020. Samplings of the waterway both upstream and downstream of the spill will be taken to ensure that the water quality has not been adversely affected. Sampling will be conducted for dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, and temperature.
This isn’t the first time heavy rains have caused wastewater spills. On Oct. 11, 2018, rains from Hurricane Michael dumped 26,000 gallons of water into the same river system. Previous spills have also been substantially larger. In May of 2018, 6.2 million gallons spilled. In 2017, the city reported a spill of 700,000 gallons and in 2015, a 4.4 million gallon spill was also reported.