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Rick Kriseman suspends two city directors in wake of sewer tangle

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St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has placed two mid-level city employees on unpaid leave in the wake of allegations that city officials knew that closing the Albert Whitted sewer facility could cause flooding. Kriseman said he plans to address the City Council on Thursday about the status of an independent review, the management study of the water resources department, and the plan for the two directors. Kriseman made the announcement in a short release Wednesday: “Mayor Rick Kriseman has placed…

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Janet Long suggests bringing all the sewer systems in Pinellas under one umbrella

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In recent months, St. Petersburg has become the poster child for a crumbling sewer infrastructure that’s dumped millions of gallons of untreated and partially treated wastewater into Tampa Bay. But the problem of failing infrastructure is much bigger than St. Pete. It’s countywide. The county, Largo, Clearwater and Tarpon Springs — just to name four — also have had problems with sewer systems unable to handle recent heavy rains. It’s an urgent problem, Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long said Monday. It’s one…

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Jack Latvala: What about using barges to prevent sewer overflows?

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On the eve of a meeting between the Pinellas Legislative delegation and city officials, state Sen. Jack Latvala has presented one possible solution to prevent further overflows of wastewater into Tampa Bay. And he wants St. Petersburg officials to tell him if it’s a good idea and, if not, why not. “I would like your presentation to include if it is feasible for barges or tankers to be brought into Bayboro to be used for heavy rain events and, if…

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Rick Kriseman calls for review of St. Petersburg water department management

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Mayor Rick Kriseman has called for a review of the management of the St. Petersburg water resources department. Kriseman’s call comes in the wake of accusations by water resources employee Craven Askew that city officials knew closing the Albert Whitted sewer plant could cause overflows and the subsequent dumping of wastewater into Tampa Bay. Kriseman issued this statement late Friday afternoon: “Included in Mr. Askew’s email is a consultant’s report that I believe has never been shared publicly or with…

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Whistleblower says St. Pete knew closing Albert Whitted could cause overflows

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The chief plant operator at one of St. Petersburg’s sewage plants says city officials knew that closing the Albert Whitted plant before improvements were made at another facility could cause overflows during heavy rains. Federal law protects workers who have whistleblower status from being retaliated against by firing or other adverse employment actions when the employee reports serious violations. Craven Askew said he was claiming whistleblower status because “public safety and the environment is suspected to be possibly in danger…

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Pinellas Commission to form sewer, wastewater task force

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Pinellas County commissioners agreed Wednesday to form a countywide task force to work together on sewer and stormwater management issues. The panel would be comprised of Pinellas County, 13 municipalities that have their own sewer systems, and three private systems. “I believe the coming together of our partners can lay the groundwork for better reaction to emergencies, improving our infrastructure, and ultimately providing better services for our citizens,” Commissioner Charlie Justice wrote in a memo proposing the task force. It…

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St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman: “It’s been a tough couple of days”

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Downed power lines, fallen trees, flooding, intersections without working traffic signals are just a few of the problems St. Petersburg is facing from the passing of Hurricane Hermine, Mayor Rick Kriseman said. And even worse, the city’s sewer system was so overwhelmed by the rains that officials had to pour “millions” of gallons of wastewater into Tampa Bay. “We know it’s been a tough couple of days,” Kriseman said. Kriseman was speaking at a press conference early Friday at the…

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