JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — State officials and JEA are investigating a smelly situation in Jacksonville’s Grove Park neighborhood.
According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 90,000 gallons of sewage overflowed into Pottsburg Creek Sunday because of a broken pump.
JEA crews worked late into the night to repair the broken equipment at a wastewater facility along Holiday Road.
“Of course it’s going to be a concern when you have bodies of water and things that might pollute it,” Trevor White, who lives nearby, said.
Signs were placed near the facility warning neighbors not to drink, swim, or fish in the area because of a ‘sanitary sewer overflow’.
A JEA spokesperson said crews worked to clean the impacted areas with hydrated lime to kill bacteria and reduce odors.
“Shortly after the discovery, JEA teams inspected the site and quickly made repairs to return the station to normal operational status,” Karen McAllister said in an email.
Water samples were also taken Monday and are expected to be returned Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday, Action News Jax received the following statement from a JEA spokesperson:
“JEA is sampling Pottsburg Creek water on a daily basis in response to the Jan. 16 Sanitary Sewer Overflow at our lift station on Holiday Road. The samples taken on Jan. 17 show elevated bacteria levels. JEA will continue to remediate and monitor this area daily. We also will maintain signage in the affected area until bacteria levels stabilize.
Pottsburg Creek, which feeds the St. Johns River, has been under duress before. A proposed development at Belfort and Hogan Road would bring 34 single-family homes. The project gained opposition from the St. Johns Riverkeeper because of the impact it could have on nearby wetlands.
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After Hurricane Matthew in 2016, 1 million gallons spilled from the facility into Pottsburg Creek.
”Direction of the wind determines whether or not we’ll notice it,” Jerry Raynor, who lives nearby, said about the smell. Raynor moved into the neighborhood in 1998. He said the odor has gotten worse over the years.
Action News Jax learned a project was already in the works to upgrade “the infrastructure of the Holiday Road lift station, including structural components, valving and piping, odor control, electrical and the emergency generator.” JEA expects the project will be completed by mid-July 2022.
Action News Jax dug through DEP records and found no other reports of overflown sewage from the site.
JEA expects the project will be completed by mid-July 2022.
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