GULFPORT, Fla (WFLA)– It’s been six months since heavy rains forced the City of St. Petersburg to dump 15 million gallons of raw sewage into nearby Clam Bayou, and the situation has yet to resolve itself.
The City of Gulfport tests the water in Clam Bayou, the city’s marina and beaches daily, and still has closures.
On Tuesday, Clam Bayou was off-limits to boaters and kayakers.
Cyndy Kramer lives in St. Petersburg and had planned on a relaxing kayak trip on the bayou. She started taking her kayak out and then noticed the sign.
“I like kayaking out here. It’s really nice. I like going into all the little coves. I just think it’s really nice,” said Kramer. “This is news to me today. I didn’t know that and I’m sad that I couldn’t go.”
The foliage surrounding the Bayou is filtering out the water, but city leaders say every time there is a heavy rain it flushes more of the contaminants out.
City Manager Jim O’Reilly puts results of the tests on the city’s web site and Facebook page in an effort to inform the public on the conditions.
Residents are frustrated they are still dealing with this situation, as is the city. “We feel their same frustration,” said O’Reilly. “We’d like to be able to say, in a 6-month timeline we’ll be back to normal. We can’t give you that today.”
