Florida governor declares state of emergency after significant leak in large wastewater pond threatened to flood roads and blow up a system that stores polluted water
MIAMI – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency Saturday after a significant leak in a large wastewater pond threatened to flood roads and blow up a system that stores polluted water.
Florida officials have ordered the evacuation of more than 300 homes and the closure of a highway Saturday near the large Tampa Bay Reservoir north of Bradenton.
Residents living around Piney Point Reservoir received a text alert telling them to leave the area immediately because the collapse was “imminent.” Authorities expanded the evacuation area later Saturday to include more homes, but said they do not intend to open shelters.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said a rupture was detected on Friday in one of the walls of a 33-acre pond that is 8 meters deep and contains millions of gallons of water containing phosphorus and nitrogen from an old plant. phosphate.
Officials brought stones and materials to cover the hole in the pond late Friday through Saturday, but the attempt failed.
Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes told a news conference on Saturday that the most pressing concern was that the water could flood the area, which he said was agricultural and low-density.
“We’re talking about the potential of about 600 million gallons (2.3 billion liters) in a matter of seconds and minutes, leaving that retention basin and going around the surrounding area,” Hopes said.
Workers pumped thousands of gallons per minute on site to reduce the volume if the pond bursts. It would take between 10 and 12 days to pump the entire pond. Others worked to pave the way to control how water flows from the pond into the Gulf of Tampa.
The DeSantis Declaration of Emergency allocates several pumps and cranes to the area. The owner, HRK Holdings, did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
The pond where the leak was discovered is at the old Piney Point phosphate mine, placed in a pile of phosphogypsum, a waste produced from the manufacture of radioactive fertilizers. It contains small amounts of natural radium and uranium, and the stacks can also release high concentrations of radon gas.
Hopes say that if the pond collapses, there is a risk that it could destabilize the walls of other areas of the plant.
“The pond is practically salt water. I saw ducks yesterday, there are snooks swimming there. Supports wildlife. This is not the case with the other two basins, “he said, adding that wastewater from other ponds should be treated to reduce the content of ammonium and other materials.
The executive order declaring the state of emergency said the breached structure has 480 million gallons (1.8 billion liters) of seawater mixed with process water and dam materials from the old fertilizer plant.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried urged the governor in a letter to convene a state cabinet emergency session to discuss a plan, adding that the property has had similar leaks in the past.
“The immediate evacuation of residents, the disruption of families over the Easter weekend and the potential environmental catastrophe require the attention and action of the elected leadership of the state of Florida,” said Fried.
In 2016, more than 200 million gallons of contaminated wastewater from another fertilizer plant in central Florida spilled into one of the state’s main aquifers after a massive pit opened in a pile pond. of phosphogypsum.
There are at least 70 gypsum stacks in the United States and about 27 in Florida, mostly in the west-central Florida region. Wastewater stored in gypsum stacks cannot be seen from the ground, as the piles surrounding the structure can reach up to 150 meters.