St. Pete works to get sewers storm ready

Image 1 of 5

The summer storm season is just days away – and the City of St. Petersburg is feeling the pressure when it comes to upgrading their sewage system.

City officials say on a dry day, two-thirds of the water in the sewage pipes is leaks in from ground water.

A massive amount of rainwater from storms last summer forced the city to dump millions of gallons of partially treated sewage into the bay.

To avoid that from happening again, Mayor Rick Kriseman is showing off some of the major upgrades to the system.

The city has a five-year $304 million, and in the short-term $51 million of that has been spent to boost storage capacity at the treatment plants, along with addressing the leaky pipes and manhole covers.

“We are getting things done far faster than historically you would see government do,” Kriseman said.

Crews are sealing manholes with caps and lining the pipes with a special coat of concrete to seal them.