Environmental officials jumped into action Thursday to contain a 54,000-gallon sewage spill in a Sarasota neighborhood. Sarasota County Public Utilities staff received a call around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, notifying them of a spill on Vivienda Way in The Meadows. Officials were on site within 10 minutes and began diverting the flow of the air release valve by shutting off multiple lift stations. A public utilities spokesperson said the flow was stopped within three hours — after 54,000 gallons of sewage had already spilled. Crews used a vacuum truck to clean up as much of the spilled wastewater as possible, about 2,500 gallons. However, most of the sewage was either absorbed into the ground or flowed into an undeveloped area. "The land where some of the wastewater was absorbed into the ground was treated with lime, which is used to disinfect surfaces and control pathogens by creating an alkaline environment that is hostile to many bacteria and some viruses," the public utilities spokesperson said. "Lime can also be used to deodorize and control odors." While officials don't know exactly what happened, they believe the valve was either hit by a lawn mower or a golf cart, causing the sewage to spill. Whatever it was, officials say it must've been "something hard" as there are concrete bollards around the valve. In addition to the valve cover and the concrete bollards, Sarasota County Public Utilities plans to place a 4-inch metal-piped bollard near this location to prevent any future spills. Utilities officials say the spill wouldn't have been as severe if it had been called in right away. They ask the public to call them at 941-861-6790 if someone ever hits a piece of infrastructure.