Bradenton will outsource operations and maintenance of its troubled wastewater treatment plant , which has a history of deficient operations and sewage discharges into the Manatee River.
Problems with Bradenton’s wastewater treatment plant and pipeline system have caused the release of hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage into the Manatee River over the years — particularly during times of heavy rainfall or during major storms like Hurricane Debby last year.
The discharges prompted environmentalists to file a lawsuit that ended in a 2022 settlement . Advocates claimed that the city had discharged 160 million gallons of sewage into the Manatee River between 2018 and 2021 . Those issues have continued since, particularly during the 2024 hurricane season…