Stevenson Creek dead manatee: Cause of death undetermined after sewage spill
Manatee found dead in creek after sewage spill
A local environmental group is looking for answers after a manatee was found dead in a Clearwater creek. It follows a recent sewer overflow nearby from the Marshall Street Water Reclamation Facility. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Stevenson Creek Advocacy Group says a dead manatee was found in a small drainage canal in Stevenson Creek Thursday.
According to Mike Foley, Vice President of the Stevenson Creek Advocacy Group, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Friday that the manatee's cause of death is undetermined because of how decomposed the animal was.
The death comes after a recent sewer overflow nearby from the Marshall Street Water Reclamation Facility. Although Foley, who has lived on the creek for decades, said he has seen much bigger spills, and that this one was cleaned up right away.
Dig deeper:
According to Clearwater officials, close to 45,000 gallons overflowed from a manhole near Holt Avenue and Russell Street Saturday morning. The manual operation system didn’t work like it was supposed to during a power outage, causing a backup in the wastewater collection system.
City officials say the overflow got into Stevenson Creek, prompting them to put up signs warning people not to swim, fish, drink or use the water that could be contaminated until further notice. They’ve been sampling the water every day since Sunday.
Foley said regardless of how this manatee died, everyone needs to keep an eye out for the manatees.
What they're saying:
"They're here, they're not endangered yet, but they are threatened, and they're close to becoming endangered, and so I believe that if they're utilizing an area for their drinking water, for their food, that we need to take special attention, pay special attention and take care of them here," he said.
The Stevenson Creek Advocacy Group recently helped get a manate protection zone in Stevenson Creek passed. It will add a year-round, slow speed, minimum wake zone for boaters from the mouth of the creek at Clearwater Harbor, extending through towards Overbrook Avenue.
The FWC and the city are in the process of figuring out the manatee protection zone signage that they’ll install.
Fox 13 reached out to the FWC regarding the dead manatee and hadn’t heard back at the time this article was published.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Stevenson Creek Advocacy Group and Clearwater city officials.