A broken pipe spilled about 14,000 gallons of wastewater into Bradenton-area waters on Sunday, the City of Sarasota said in a report filed with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The spill impacted Sarasota Bay, part of the Intracoastal Waterway that borders Manatee and Sarasota counties. It’s also one of only 28 U.S. water bodies recognized as an “Estuary of National Significance” under the EPA’s National Estuary Program.
City of Sarasota staffers received a report around 11:20 a.m. Sunday that water was coming up from the ground at West John Ringling Causeway Park, according to a pollution report the city filed with FDEP.
When staff investigated, they found that the concrete vault that lies over an air release valve had shifted due to erosion and damaged a connection to the force main pipe, allowing water to spill above ground, the report said.
This erosion is likely due to the 2024 hurricane season, the report says.
The force main break resulted in “about 14,000 gallons of raw wastewater spilled directly into the Sarasota Bay,” according to the report.
Staff installed a repair clamp on the 2-inch hole in the force main, stopping the spill, according to the release.
“Staff then applied lime, washed down, and vacuumed up spill remnants,” the report said. “The material was disposed of at the city’s wastewater treatment facility.”
The city placed signage at the spill location, and staff are taking samples of the water, according to the report.
Views of Cirrus at Aqua beyond a stretch of mangroves from Sarasota Bay on April 24, 2025. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
This story was originally published March 2, 2026 at 11:18 AM.