ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — City officials said Thursday night they made the "difficult decision" to turn off power at its Northeast Sewer Treatment Plant to protect the plant from unprecedented storm surge.

What You Need To Know

  • The plant is located at 1160 62nd Avenue NE

  • Residents and businesses located north of 30th Avenue N and east of I-275/Haines Road are impacted by the decision

  • Affected residents and businesses should not drain water, take showers, do laundry, or flush toilets

  • SEE ALSO: Latest forecast on Helene

The plant is located at 1160 62nd Avenue NE.

According to a news release, this is the only facility the City anticipates being affected by storm surge. Affected residents and businesses should not drain water, take showers, do laundry, or flush toilets.

Draining water will cause sewage to back up into homes and businesses.

The city released a Q&A about what this means.

Why did this happen?

Due to the high levels of storm surge and to ensure the safety and sustainability of sewer services post-storm.

How long will sewer service be impacted?

It will take at least a minimum of 48 hours to resume plant operations after it's turned off. City staff will need to carefully inspect the plant to be sure it can be safely restarted and make any repairs if necessary before resuming operations.

What else should I know?

Drinking water has NOT been shut off. Running water is still accessible. However, it is critical to not drain water out of sinks, tubs, or toilets. Draining water may cause sewage to back up into homes.

St. Pete Fire Rescue made contact with all special needs facilities in the impacted area.

Crews are monitoring impacts to the plant and standing by to resume service as soon as possible.