Pensacola Beach sewage spill sees 17,500 gallons of raw sewage spilled, 16,000 recaptured

A sewage spill that originated Monday near a Pensacola Beach townhouse complex released an estimated 17,500 gallons before the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority was able to contain it, an ECUA news release said.

The sanitary sewer overflow occurred at 1100 Fort Pickens Road, which Escambia County Property Appraiser records show is an 84 unit townhouse complex on the northside of the roadway.

Crews were called out to the spill at 8:45 a.m. Monday and discovered a broken force main.

Some of the spilled sewage entered a nearby storm drain.

Original reporting: 1,000 gallon sewage spill reported at Pensacola Beach townhouses on Fort Pickens Road

ECUA was able to recover 16,000 of the spilled waste using vacuum trucks, a news release said. Another 8,125 gallons were diverted using tanker trucks to prevent additional spillage.

Repairs were completed at 11:45 a.m., the release said, and the area was cleaned up and a disinfectant applied to the impacted area.

Testing is being conducted at Pensacola Bay, with the results going to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Health.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Beach sewage spill at Fort Pickens Road largely recaptured