A total of 7,400 gallons of wastewater were spilled into Johns Pass. The culprit is an abandoned shovel

 Madeira Island An abandoned shovel emptied enough dirty water into Johns Pass Tuesday night to fill nearly 200 bathtubs, according to county utility officials.

According to Michele Duggan, utilities compliance manager for Pinellas County Utilities, an estimated 7,400 gallons of untreated wastewater spilled into the channel that separates Treasure Island and Madeira Beach after a shovel was left in a manhole. The shovel most likely blocked the wastewater flowing from nearby businesses on the Johns Pass boardwalk, leaving the water nowhere to go but out.

According to an initial pollution notice submitted by the county to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday morning, the spill lasted nearly 312 hours, beginning shortly after 6 p.m.

According to Duggan, it is currently unknown who left the shovel behind. According to county spokesperson Alexandra Kuchta, the county is putting together a more detailed pollution report, and the state is investigating the spill.

Water flowed into a nearby storm drain before emptying into Johns Pass, according to Duggan. The county posted three warning signs urging people not to enter the water: one upstream of the spill, one downstream, and one at the point where wastewater from the drain empties into the waterway. The county collected water quality samples, and the results should be available Thursday.

"We're out there sampling until we're satisfied," Duggan said. "We'll let nature take its course." "It's windy out there today," says the weatherman. Wind can assist in breaking up large amounts of wastewater spills.

The wind was blowing at 16 mph in Madeira Beach on Wednesday afternoon, according to weather data.

Although a 7,400-gallon spill pales in comparison to some recent local wastewater spills reported to the state, this one had a direct impact on a waterway. According to state pollution reports, nearly 130,000 gallons of untreated wastewater were emptied into a rural Wesley Chapel field and roadway on Feb. 12 after a pipe burst. That spill had no effect on waterways, and there were no potential public health risks.

From : TAMPA BAY TIME