Sewage spill odors pummel holiday shoppers

SPRING HILL -- Christmas wasn't the only thing in the air this morning for customers at a Wal-Mart Supercenter on U.S. 19. Holiday shoppers were bowled over by the smells spewing from a broken 16-inch pipe at a sewage treatment plant next door.

Hernando County utility officials said that the underground pipe burst around 6:30 a.m., spilling thousands of gallons of sewage that bubbled to the surface. More than a dozen county workers scrambled at the scene to vacuum the sewage, some of which was sent back through the system with the rest being hauled to the county landfill. Workers were able to bypass the break so there was no loss of service to customers.

Jesse Goodwin, the county's interim utilities director, expected the line to be repaired by noon, with the cleanup to take longer. Lime will be spread at the exterior of the treatment plant.

Goodwin said the sewage smells no doubt caused "an inconvenience'' for shoppers. Odors from the plant have been a problem for nearby businesses and residents for years. Goodwin noted that the county has notified the state Department of Environmental Protection of the spill, as required.

- Barbara Behrendt, Times staff writer

Comments

[Tony]

Walmart shoppers are used to the smell, trailer parks have sewage backups all the time. Not like any of them ran home an took showers anyway.

[m]

Well considering it's in the "park" Pinellas Park.. Tony your prob right..LOL

[frank]

easy tony, not everyone has extra money laying around. truth be told though, the walmart in question usually smells like a toilet (along with the neighbourhood around the sewage plant). so this is nothing out of the ordinary.

[cheryl]

Doesnt the story say SPRINGHILL? Not Pinellas Park? Funny.. that the UNeducated comment...

[M]

Well it's all the same Pinellas Park .. Spring Hill ... all redneckish.. HA

[M]

I DIDN'T READ THE WHOLE ARTICE... JUST SCANNED IT.. SAW US 19 AND STENCH AND JUST FIGURED IT WAS THE PARK.. LOL

[fa la la l]

For anyone who cares.. Springhill is actually a really nice area. It's nothing like PINELLAS PARK. It's clean and the homes are beautiful... Tony U should take a ride... ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS

[fa la la l]

For anyone who cares.. Springhill is actually a really nice area. It's nothing like PINELLAS PARK. It's clean and the homes are beautiful... Tony U should take a ride... ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS

[disgusted]

Tony, you're an idiot!

[Steve]

Spring Hill is little Long Island. 80% of us are from NY.

[Steven Tamayo]

The whole county of Pinellas makes me sick.

[Catherine]

"Bitter".....party of one!

[Patti]

Hey, guys, you better watch out - you'll only get lumps of coal in your stocking. Merry Christmas to one and all.

[scooter]

yes it is like a little Long Island up in Spring Hill.. my in laws are moving down next month.. to be with the rest of their family. that already moved down here

[M]

I HEAR IT'S NEAR MOON LAKE... THAT ALONE SCARES ME. I DON'T EVEN THINK SANTA GOES THEIR.. LOL

The whole county smells like a dead moose.