BRADENTON — Emergency repairs have been completed to a 24-inch sewer force main damaged on Oct. 13 near the intersection of 26th Street West and 60th Avenue West.
The incident occurred when a contractor installing electrical conduit unrelated to Manatee County Utility operations struck the sewer force main, resulting in a sanitary sewer overflow and requiring a coordinated response.
Utilities crews stopped the initial discharge at approximately 7:45 p.m. Oct. 13 by temporarily taking an upstream wastewater pump station out of service and deploying tanker trucks to manage wastewater flows while emergency repairs were underway. Despite these efforts, the disruption to the collection system resulted in additional overflows near 63rd Avenue East and 52nd Avenue Terrace East as crews worked to manage wastewater volumes.
The preliminary estimate indicates that more than 300,000 gallons of wastewater were discharged, some of which entered stormwater drains that may connect to nearby surface waters. The final discharge volume, including the amount of wastewater recovered, will be determined following a review of field data.
Manatee County Utilities Wastewater Compliance staff will investigate potential impacts to surrounding waterways and conduct any necessary water quality sampling and public notifications. The incident was reported to the State Watch Office under Incident Number 2026-10358.
Following the incident, Manatee County Utilities personnel worked around the clock alongside contracted crews, vendors and additional support teams to stabilize the system, manage wastewater flows, recover discharged wastewater and complete the necessary repairs.
The emergency response required extensive coordination, specialized equipment and additional resources secured through emergency purchase orders. Field crews, operations personnel, contractors, vendors and support staff worked together under challenging conditions to address the damaged infrastructure and restore service as quickly and safely as possible.
“This was a significant response that required an immediate, coordinated approach and an extraordinary amount of round-the-clock work from everyone involved,” said Manatee County Utilities Director Patrick Shea. “I want to thank our Utilities teams, emergency response crews, contractors and support staff who answered the call, worked long hours and brought the resources and expertise needed to get this repair completed. I also want to thank our residents and businesses for their patience and cooperation throughout this emergency.”
While the emergency repair is complete, Utilities personnel will continue with cleanup, site restoration, and follow-up activities associated with the incident.