A writer for the Tampa Bay Times critiques the city of St. Petersburg's response to repeat storm events that have sent millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into its public waters.
Charlie Frago writes of a recurring problem in St. Petersburg, Florida: rains overwhelming the city's wastewater system and sending millions of gallons of "untreated and partially treated sewage gushing into the waters of Tampa Bay and Boca Ciega Bay…"
Three-and-a-half million gallons of the previously described sewage overflowed the system in August 2015, prompting promises from elected officials that it wouldn't happen again. Yet along came Tropical Storm Colin in June 2016, causing "9.8 million of gallons of sewage — estimated to be 30 to 50 percent untreated sewage — [to spill] into the bay."
Frago critiques the efforts of the city to prevent ongoing sewage mishaps, summing up his assessment up with these excoriating words: "St. Petersburg had options. But the option officials chose was to do nothing." The feature-length article digs into the details of how the plan hatched after last August's storms fell short, and the additional measures that have since been added on to the city's stormwater emergency plans. For instance, the city is currently "conducting an 18-month study to determine where it needs to fix the leaky pipes that fill with rainwater during a storm, increasing the volume of waste that flows into the sewer plants."
FULL STORY: St. Petersburg had options during sewage crisis — so what happened?
Florida Plagued by Sewage Spills
The state’s aging sewage infrastructure is failing, but the cost to replace it would be monumental.
Chicago Flood Mitigation Scrambles to Keep up With Climate Change
The city’s geography and the growing intensity of storms due to climate change are making it difficult for local officials to prevent neighborhood flooding and wastewater spills.
How to Keep Billions of Gallons of Sewage Out of a Waterway
The Anacostia River Tunnel is just one component of DC Water's Clean River Project, but it's already making a huge difference.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
