Nearly 20 Homes Evacuated Near Piney Point After Wastewater Leak

Bradenton FL

02 April, 2021

7:45 PM

Description

Update: 10:20 p.m. MANATEE COUNTY, FL — As many as 20 homes were evacuated near the site of the former Piney Point phosphate fertilizer processing plant Friday afternoon because one of the reservoirs is leaking contaminated wastewater, county officials said during a news conference. The Manatee County Public Safety Department sent out an evacuation notice to residents and businesses in the area because of "the imminent uncontrolled release of wastewater at Buckeye Road and Bud Rohden Road," the department tweeted around 6:20 p.m. The initial evacuation order only affected those within a half-mile radius of Piney Point. An hour later, the evacuation was expanded to include everyone one mile north of the Piney Point phosphogypsum stack, as well. The county opened its 311 emergency call center Friday evening, but none of the evacuated families have requested assistance from the Red Cross yet, Jacob Saur, the county's public safety director, said during the news conference. After a leak was found in the 77-acre process water pond at Piney Point March 25, the state authorized the release of more than 400 million gallons of contaminated water into Tampa Bay. Like what you're reading? Invite a friend to subscribe to free Bradenton newsletters and real-time email alerts. The leak, caused by a tear in the pond liner, threatens to cause a collapse of the gypsum stacks on site, WWSB reported. This led to the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners voting unanimously to declare a state of emergency in the area Thursday. Florida's Department of Environmental Protection issued an emergency order requiring HRK Holdings, LLC "to take immediate action and implement necessary steps to ensure integrity to the system. This authorization includes the release of controlled discharges," FDEP wrote in an update shared on Twitter Friday. #PineyPointUpdate for April 2, 2021. We will be posting regular updates here and on https://t.co/Ntcj4ApbMc pic.twitter.com/d6EqqYyMEe— Florida DEP News (@FLDEPNews) April 2, 2021 FDEP added, "To be clear, the department's authorization for the controlled discharges is not a blanket authorization. The (emergency order) only authorizes discharges at an amount necessary to ensure stabilization." The department hoped the controlled discharges would prevent the buildup of pressure in the system, as well as uncontrolled discharges from the reservoirs. Thursday's controlled discharges temporarily alleviated pressure in the system enough to slow uncontrolled discharges into Piney Point Creek, FDEP said. Around 4 p.m. Friday, though – ahead of the evacuation – a large seepage was noticed along the eastern wall of the New Gypsum Stack South containment area, the department said. "This water is the same mixed seawater in the reservoir. These discharges are currently contained in the onsite lined stormwater system." Earlier Friday, county staff noticed a number of smaller breaches, in addition to the larger leak at the bottom of the retention pond, Manatee County's Interim County Administrator Scott Hopes said during Friday evening's news conference. The county is using a piping system to remove 22,000 gallons of water from the retention pond each minute. It should take 10 to 12 days to remove enough water from the pond to decrease pressure enough to "avoid a full breach," he said. The pond contains between 700,000 and 800,000 gallons of water. During this process, the water, which was initially moved into the retention pond from Port Manatee for processing, is being moved back into the port, Hopes said. The processed water has a pH level of 5.7, which is "within a safe margin," he said. "Obviously, you would not prefer to go swimming in it. There's a little b it of ammonia in it, but we're not talking about anything with radiation or high levels of heavy metals or anything like that." The silt mixed in with the water contains a metal composition that is already found on the bottom of the bay, Hopes added. Workers are also using fill-in material found on site to support the southeastern portion of the pond's wall, Hopes said. FDEP's emergency management staff is also at Piney Point working with Manatee County to help stop the discharge.