New satellite images reveal breach at Florida wastewater reservoir as officials rule out second possible leak and emergency crews continue pumping out millions of toxic gallons to save 300 homes
The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) ruled out a second breach on Monday after a drone identified a second possible leak in the reservoir that is filled with toxic levels of phosphorus and nitrogen
Emergency workers, assisted by the National Guard, have been pumping around 33 million gallons per day out of the reservoir after a leak sprung in its plastic lining
More than 300 homes near the abandoned phosphate mine and fertilizer-production facility were evacuated over the weekend as Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency
Reuters Reuters
6 April, 2021, 10:08 pm
A reservoir of a defunct phosphate plant south of Tampa, where a leak at a waste water reservoir forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes and threatened to flood the area and Tampa Bay with polluted water, is seen in an aerial photograph taken in Piney Point, Florida, U.S. April 4, 2021. Picture taken April 4, 2021. REUTERS/Drone Base
(Reuters) – Crews were working around the clock on Monday to prevent the collapse of a waste water reservoir’s leaky containment wall near Tampa Bay, Florida, making steady progress after officials warned of an imminent threat of flooding over the weekend.
No second area of seepage at Piney Point, according to FL DEP
Efforts to prevent a full-scale collapse at Piney Point
and last updated 2021-04-06 13:40:26-04
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. â There is no second breach at the old Piney Point phosphate plant, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Meanwhile, the effort continues to pump out more than 35 million gallons of water a day to prevent a collapse of the gypsum stack and an uncontrolled spill of contaminated water.
As of Monday, more than two dozen pumps were deployed and drone teams were monitoring every hour.
The Florida DEP said controlled discharges are ongoing to stabilize the system, while uncontrolled discharge to Piney Point Creek stopped. It continues monitoring an area with concentrated seepage from an east wall contained on-site.
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(Reuters) -Emergency crews labored around the clock on Monday to prevent the collapse of a wastewater reservoir’s leaky containment wall near Tampa Bay, Florida, making steady progress after officials warned of an imminent threat of flooding over the weekend.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worked with local public safety teams to drain the Piney Point reservoir, which holds about 480 million gallons, in a bid to prevent a major breach that could unleash a cascade of wastewater into the surrounding area, officials said.
While the pumping operation appeared to diminish the immediate threat to hundreds of homes near Piney Point, a former phosphate plant, the wastewater drainage was being discharged to a nearby Gulf Coast seaport, posing environmental concerns there.
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