According to The Suncoast Water Keeper, Tropical Storm Debby and rain seem to have caused partially treated and untreated sewage to spill into the manatee river.
Justin Bloom with Suncoast Water Keeper said about 50 million gallons of sewage has leaked into the river since Debby.
The issue is impacting Bradenton and Palmetto.
“I’m Mad. I’m angry,” Brit Fell said. “It’s inexcusable.”
Fell lives on the river. He and his neighbors are dealing with the impact right now.
“This river is the life of both cities,” he said. “Without this river we’d be nothing”
Bloom, along with several other environmental experts, says Tropical Storm Debby is a factor in the sewage spill, but not the only factor.
“The one thing about Bradenton, they have defects throughout their system. The Suncoast water Keeper, and other organizations filed lawsuits forcing them to address those defects,” he said. “but it’s taking a long time to do that, and it’s very expensive. The city is making progress but they’ve been overwhelmed.”