Pipe break sends 80,000 gallons of waste water into Ware’s Creek in Bradenton

BRADENTON – An 18-inch force main waste water line erupted some time around midnight in Ballard Park, spilling an estimated 80,000 gallons of waste water through the storm water system and into Ware’s Creek.

Public works crews were able to stop the leakage around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning. Septage trucks worked through the night to pump out the lift station near Eighth Avenue West and 17th Street Court West. Contractors were on hand first thing Tuesday morning to begin the excavation work for repairs.

Workers on the scene could not say what caused the break, but they speculated that a clog may have occurred. The ensuing pressure may have caused the aging line to burst.

“I could hear them working last night,” said nearby resident Amber Green, who moved into her new rental house two days ago. “The water in the toilet was kind of going up and down so I knew there had to be an issue with the sewer line.”