Unusual Smell Near Port Tampa Bay (3/17/2025)¶
If you've recently noticed an occasional odor near the City of Tampa’s Howard F. Curren Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, we want to provide some reassurance. The smell is due to a disruption in the plant’s treatment process, caused by illegal discharges from wastewater hauled in by tankers. To fix the issue, the City has stopped accepting wastewater from outside sources and is testing nearby industrial sites to ensure everything is in compliance. On a positive note, we've finished rebuilding a damaged part of the treatment system and started the final steps to get it running. That also should help alleviate odors. This process takes about two weeks, and everything is still on track to be fully operational by the end of the month. We appreciate your patience and remain committed to keeping our air and water clean.
Update (4/2/2025)¶
The City of Tampa Wastewater Department has completed building the new treatment tank at the Howard F. Curren Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. The tank is operational and immediately started the recovery of the treatment process that was causing the odors. Considerable improvement of the process will be complete in one week and continue until fully operational.
The Wastewater Department continues to investigate the source of the illegal discharges and testing of all tankers hauling wastewater to the treatment plant.
The Wastewater Department has performed air quality testing around the treatment plant site. The results are expected within 24 hours. The results will be posted online at www.tampagov.net/wastewater
Please contact kathlyn.fitzpatrick@tampgov.net for additional information or concerns.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS¶
- Why didn’t the city test for compounds relevant to the odor issues or aerosolized bacteria/toxins in its air quality test? The City retained an environmental engineering firm that successfully completed prior air permitting projects at this facility. The City discussed the odor issues that are occurring with the digesters. We did not set the parameters for the testing. In hindsight, we should have. The DEP has indicated today that they requested you to re-do the test and test for relevant compounds – when is this next test being done and what compounds are being tested? We have hired another environmental engineering firm who will begin sampling on Monday, April 7th.
- While the potency of the recent smell has been unprecedented, there has been an odor problem for at least 14 months that comes and goes. Specifically, last April 2024, and over the summer 2024. Does the facility suspect that illegal dumping was the source of the odor last year as well? The recent odor issues with the digesters started in end of December/January 2025 due to an unpermitted discharge into the City’s wastewater system. The City is unaware of odor issues prior to this timeframe at the wastewater facilities due to another issue. The City is committed to immediately investigating all future air concerns. If so, what is the long range plan to monitor to the haulers? The City will continue to collect samples from haulers on-site as necessary to ensure compliance with their permits. In addition, the City will continue to only permit haulers with wastewater generated from the City of Tampa limits.
- In the recent weeks, the odor was the most suffocating in the mornings from 7-8am – is the facility discharging air from the digesters at that time or is it a result of something else? The operation of the wastewater facilities is consistent 24 hours/day, 365 days per year. There is no known direct connection between the operation of the digesters and an odor during the morning hours. The City will investigate this concern and report any findings.
- In a call with the DEP today, the DEP indicated that the facility indicated that as of today, all digesters but one are at the target pH of 7, and that one was at 6.8. The smell was still extremely pungent yesterday morning – how do you reconcile the progress with the pH and the odor? The pH above 7 is one of several indicators of a healthy digester. The other indicators are alkalinity and volatile acids. These indicators are steadily improving; however, they have not yet hit their target range.
- We understand they are still investigating source of the illegal dumping and testing each hauler over the next month. Are these external haulers primarily from ships at the port or septic systems, or something else? The haulers come from manufacturing, construction and industrial sites located throughout the City.
- If the city does not have the resources to routinely test the haulers, can it charge more for the permits to provide additional funding to monitor? The City will investigate this option.
- What is the current capacity of the facility now? The solids treatment facility has a current capacity of 7,7463,930 gallons. While it is great news that digester #7 has been rehabilitated, with digester 2 and 5 planned to be taken offline for repairs or placed out of service, it seems that digester #7 could already be at 85% capacity? Digester 2 has been taken permanently out-of-service. The City is currently studying an appropriate time frame to take Digester 5 temporarily out-of-service to perform a roof repair. If any issues develop, the City can immediately return Digester No. 5 to full-time service.
- Are there any additional steps the city can be taking to further mitigate and avoid a repeat of this issue in the future? The City will continue to strictly limit access to the facility for wastewater only generated from within the City of Tampa and continue sampling of tankers as necessary.