Work teams were pumping millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater into an ecologically sensitive Florida bay on Sunday, while trying to prevent the “imminent” collapse of a storage reservoir in an old phosphate mine.
Manatee County officials extended an evacuation zone overnight and warned on Sunday that up to 340 million gallons could engulf the area in “a 20-foot water wall” if they could not repair the breach in the Piney Point reservoir in the area from Tampa Bay, north of Bradenton.
Aerial images broadcast on local television showed water leaking from leaks in the walls of the holding tank.
Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, declared a state of emergency after officials warned of the lake’s “imminent collapse”.
He visited the site by helicopter on Sunday morning and said at a news conference that engineers were still trying to plug the breaches in the reservoir wall with stones and other materials, and that other mitigation efforts included the controlled release of 35 million gallons daily at Porto Manatee.
He said the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) brought 20 new bombs.
“What we are looking for now is to try to prevent and respond, if necessary, to a real catastrophic flood situation,” said DeSantis. “The water quality problems that stem from this for us are less than the risk to the health and safety of everyone, especially for the people who can live in the area.”
The governor also tried to minimize reports that the water contained traces of radioactive materials.
“The water was tested before flushing [and] the main concern is nutrients, ”he said. “Water meets water quality standards, standards for marine waters, with the exception of mainly phosphorus and nitrogen.”
Scott Hopes, the acting county administrator, warned at the news conference that, despite the low population density, the nearby area could be flooded by a sudden collapse of the 77-acre lake, although discharges have reduced the amount of water remaining.
“What if we had a total violation? We are reduced to about 340 million gallons that can break through in a period of minutes, and models for less than an hour are as high as a 20-foot water wall. ” he said.
“So if you are in an evacuation area and have not been paying attention, you need to think twice and follow orders.”
Authorities expanded the evacuation zone on Saturday night from a dozen or more properties to more than 300 homes. The Tampa Bay Times interviewed some residents who refused to leave.
The lake at the abandoned phosphate mine sits on a pile of plaster, a radioactive residue from the manufacture of fertilizers. The lake contains small amounts of naturally occurring radio and uranium. Batteries can also release large concentrations of radon gas.
Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner and the only Democrat elected to a state post, warned of an “environmental catastrophe” and called on DeSantis – who described toxic water as “mixed salt water”In a tweet announcing the state of emergency – to hold an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the state’s response.
“Florida residents were evacuated from their homes over the Easter weekend. 480 million gallons of toxic wastewater could end up in Tampa Bay – it could become an environmental catastrophe, ” she said on Twitter.
Environmental protection groups have warned that more pollutants in Tampa Bay would increase the risk to wildlife of the proliferation of toxic red tide algae.
“Phosphate companies have had more than 50 years to find a way to dispose of radioactive plaster waste,” said activist group Mana-Sota 88. “At the moment, there are no federal, state or local regulations requiring the industry to do the same. final disposal of plaster waste in an environmentally acceptable manner. ”
In a statement, the group added: “The current crisis can be traced back to the absurd 2006 decision to allow dredged material from Port Manatee to be placed in one of the leafhopper piles at Piney Point, something for which the pile has never been designed and should never have been allowed. “
At Sunday’s press conference, Hopes acknowledged, “This could have been resolved more than two decades ago.” He said the long-term goal would be to fully pump the three reservoirs at the site and fill them.
Piney Point owner HRK Holdings bought the site after it was abandoned by Mulberry Corporation, which operated the phosphate plant for more than 40 years. As early as 2003, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reported, the walls of the reservoir were crumbling. The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) previously authorized the dumping of hundreds of millions of gallons of toxic water in the Gulf of Mexico.
At a meeting of the manatee commission on Thursday, convened after the severity of the new spill became apparent, engineers pointed to the deterioration of the lagoon’s decades-old plastic liner.
“The conditions of the ocean liner are not particularly good,” said Mike Kelley, an engineer employed by HRK Holdings, at the meeting, the Times reported. “It’s old. There were some installation problems. There is a long documented history of problems with the coating system.”
The newspaper inspected the site records and found that the team documented small holes or flaws in the plastic seams above the water line in July, October and December last year.
On Sunday, DeSantis said HRK would be held accountable.