CLEARWATER, Fla. — An estimated half-million gallons of raw sewage spilled from a Clearwater water treatment plant this week and into a nearby waterway.

The leak happened at about 6 p.m. at the Marshall Street plant and lasted for two hours.

City utilities director Rich Gardner said a communication panel that controls pumps at the plant malfunctioned, causing raw sewage to spill out of a manhole near the plant as well as into Stevenson reek.

Gardner said there were actually two separate leaks, one where 400,000 gallons leaked, but he said that was contained to the street and didn’t make it to the creek.

He said crews thought that leak was fixed, but it wasn’t, causing a second leak of 100,000 gallons that did make it to the creek.

Cleanup is complete, but the area is still being monitored, he said.

Spectrum Bay News received a statement from nonprofit Tampa Bay Waterkeeper. It said:

“Tampa Bay Waterkeeper is aware of the reported sewage spill in Clearwater. As an organization that utilizes environmental enforcement as a tool to better our water quality, we will absolutely take a close look at this incident.”

“That amount of sewage that spilled into Stevenson Creek and into the watershed is concerning and will no doubt have a negative impact on water quality. Wastewater contains nitrogen, which contributes to harmful algal blooms, impedes seagrass growth and can cause fish kills. Our way of life and economy centers on our water quality here in Pinellas County. This is yet another wake up call. We need to do better.”

We’ll have more information in our evening newscasts and on the Spectrum News app.