- November 7, 2024
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The big green lid of Joe Orlando's PEP tank came off at about 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9, and sewage "started flowing out like a broken water line," at his home at 12 Lincoln Court in Palm Coast, he said. Fortunately, the water was clear, and the smell was bad "just in the beginning," he said. "Didn't last long." A city crew came at 5:30 p.m., and a tanker truck showed up to "suck out the swale," he said.
Orlando was one of many who experienced this (the city is working on getting an accurate count), as thousands of gallons of effluent bubbled out of pump stations and PEP tanks — some landing in Palm Coast swales — after power losses from Hurricane Matthew backed up the city's wastewater system Oct. 9-10.
"When power was lost, the pump stations and PEP tanks were not able to pump the wastewater to the wastewater treatment plant, resulting in overflows that were both onsite and offsite of the installation site," a city news release stated. "When city crews discovered the overflows, they were immediately cleaned up using a vacuum tanker truck, disinfected with lime and had signs placed saying to stay away."
The city had warned residents in a news release the afternoon of Monday, Oct. 10, to limit water usage to avoid sewage backups into homes. A number of manholes overflowed on Oct. 8. The city has urged residents to ensure that children and pets stay away from the sewage.
"We need power to get this problem under control," Communications Manager Cindi Lane said. "In the meantime, we’re working around the clock. We’re throwing everything we've got at it. I know that’s not always enough for the public to hear, but we have gotten the extra trucks, the extra generators, as many people helping us as we can find, and as soon as we get a report of anybody having this type of issue, we respond."
Many residents have asked whether water needs to be limited even if they already have power. Lane said PEP tanks take 24-48 hours to catch up, after the power turns back on. "So for the first 24 hours," she wrote in an email, "residents should still limit water use. Don't wash up all the laundry at once."
If the alarm goes off, that means you're coming close to being full. You can silence the alarm on your panel on the side of the house. Call Customer Service to report it: 986-2360. But if your power is on, the city won't respond right away because the pump should catch up soon.
If sewage starts backing up in the shower, call Customer Service and tell the city about the backup so a crew can respond right away.
The city cleaned up the overflows as it discovered them throughout the day and night of Oct. 9 and early morning Oct. 10, notifying residents by email of the overflows at about 4:18 p.m. Oct. 10, in accordance with Florida law regarding notification of the public of known cases of pollution.
Here are the locations of the overflows, according to the city news release:
Pump station 63-1 at Zonal Court – 2,500 gallons contained in a ditch adjacent to the installation property. Discovered and cleaned up at 6 p.m. Oct. 9
Pump Station CL-1 at Daytona State College, Flagler Palm Coast Campus – 2,000 gallons contained in a swale and wet retention pond adjacent to the installation property. Discovered and cleaned up at 3 a.m. on Oct. 10, 2016
Pump station 64-1 at Citation Boulevard – less than 1,000 gallons
Pump station 63-2 at Zebulahs Trail – less than 1,000 gallons
Pump station 65-1 at Kankakee Trail – less than 1,000 gallons
Pump station 65-2 at Kathryn Place – less than 1,000 gallons
PEP tank at 12 Lincoln Court – approximately 1,200 gallons contained in a swale system
Joe Orlando said he has had his pump replaced three times in the 11 years he has lived in Palm Coast.
