PALMETTO, Fla. — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a State of Emergency for Manatee County on Saturday, April 3, due to a leak at the old Piney Point phosphate mine off of U.S. 41.
County administrators announced Saturday during a news conference that the situation escalated over the past 24 hours.
THE LATEST
- Gov. DeSantis issues State of Emergency
- Evacuation orders remain in place
- Portions of U.S. 41 currently closed
Officials fear the leak could give way to an uncontrolled breach and cause a rush of toxic pollutants to discharge into Tampa Bay causing a major environmental disaster.
If the gypsum stack can't hold, officials predict approximately 700-800 million gallons of water could spill out.
Evacuation orders have been issued for residents and businesses near Piney Point.
The orders now extend west to U.S. 41 and cover the neighborhoods one mile north of the gypsum stack and a half-mile south. (See map below.)
Due to the threat, the Florida Highway Patrol also closed a portion of US-41 near Piney Point.
+MORE: Piney Point toxic water stacks have plagued area for decades
FHP says US-41 at 113th St E in Manatee & College Ave in Hillsborough is closed. Drivers are asked to detour on College Ave & Moccasin Wallow Road.
Due to a possible breach of mixed saltwater from the south reservoir at the Piney Point facility, I have declared a State of Emergency for Manatee County to ensure resources are allocated for necessary response & recovery.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 3, 2021
Overnight, crews worked to pile dirt and rock near the area of the leak, but the attempts were unsuccessful.
"I want to thank the brave men and women who have been working literally around the clock to minimize any impacts that this situation may have for public safety," said County Commission Chairman Vanessa Baugh. "Led by our Public Works and Emergency Management teams, crews worked up until 2:30 a.m. today to try to reinforce the berm wall of the breached areas of the gyp stacks. Those efforts were, unfortunately, unsuccessful." Later she added that Manatee Sheriff's Office has said residents within the evacuation zone are believed to be out and safe.
Another 32 million gallons of water per day is being safely drawn down by pumps to a drain into Tampa Bay from the top of the 79-acre pond. An estimated 380 million gallons of high-nutrient saltwater remain in the pond.
The state is in the process of sending pumps and cranes to the area which will be necessary to help control the rush of water if a breach occurs.
CURRENT EVACUATION ZONE
At 11 a.m. today @MCGPublicSafety officials ordered a complete evacuation of the Piney Point reservoir site. Evacuation notices were sent to any persons one mile to the north of the phosphogypsum stacks and a half-mile to the south. pic.twitter.com/8ZaWE1A3PE
— Manatee County Public Safety Department (@MCGPublicSafety) April 3, 2021
IN-DEPTH COVERAGE
Officials say around 4 p.m. on April 2, they noticed another leak on the north wall of the containment area, leading to the expansion of the evacuation zone.
Manatee County officials met with Senator Jim Boyd and Representative Will Robinson for a press conference late Friday night to give an update on the situation.
County Administrator Hopes says officials are actively emptying around 22,000 gallons of water every minute into Tampa Bay at Port Manatee.
At this point, he says it will likely take between 10 and 12 days before the pond is completely empty. So as far as when people who live in the evacuation zone can get back into their homes, he says that is a moving target.
“If we are only dealing with the current situation, then they should be able to offload a majority of the water in that one 77-acre area, within 10-12 days, and then it would be safe. The other structures are far more stable at the moment. This happens to be the highest one, and it’s one that has been perhaps the least stable," said Hopes.
While it is a small residential area, there are still between 15 and 20 homes with families and animals, which are all under that mandatory evacuation.
“It goes into being a little nervous about the future. We live out in the country on 6 acres, and we live on a well. So is this gonna get into our well water? How long has it been leaking, is it safe to bathe my children in it? Wash my dishes in it, you know, how long is the long term effects gonna be? And then, we’re avid boaters, and we fish, and we don’t want to see that being dumped out into our beautiful bay and to have fish killed and wildlife killed,” said Skye Grundy, a resident who lives near the evacuation zone.
County Administrator Hopes says the Department of Environmental Protection is constantly testing the drinking water in the area, and that it is still safe to drink.
Hopes says the majority of the water in the retention pond is silt and saltwater from a dredge project in Port Manatee several years ago. He says the water has a pH balance around 5.7, and that it is safe to put back into Tampa Bay, but that the water is still contaminated.
Manatee County Public Safety is working with the American Red Cross to establish a shelter for affected residents. Manatee County’s Emergency Management Team has responded to the scene to assist on-site.
While crews continue to relieve water from the pond, Hopes says crews are actively trying to back up support of the southeast wall of the retention pond in order to prevent a total collapse of the gypsum stack.
This problem is one that has been ongoing, and county and state leaders committed themselves on Friday to putting an end to the problem once and for all.
“Our top priority is getting through this emerging problem, this instant problem, this emergency that we have today, and we’ll get the money, we’ll solve the problem. this has been our top legislative delegation priority for at least a year now, but, and I said this to the press a couple days ago, this quarter century debate on what to do with this property needs to come to an end,” said Rep. Will Robinson, (R) Manatee, Sarasota.
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