Wastewater discharge in Tampa Bay could fuel algal blooms
Associated Press
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Environmentalists are worried that a recent discharge of wastewater into Tampa Bay could exacerbate a new outbreak of the dreaded red tide algal blooms.
An estimated 215 million gallons of wastewater from the old Piney Point fertilizer plant grounds was discharged earlier this month into Tampa Bay. About 11 miles away, red tide was found in water samples off Manatee County.
“Piney Point loaded the gun, and then that first red tide positive count, they slammed the hammer back on the gun,” said Brian Rosegger, co-founder of nearby Lost Coast Oyster Company.
Conway resident first choice for permanent town administrator
Conway Town Office at 32 Main St. in Conway. Staff File Photo/PAUL FRANZ
Published: 4/23/2021 3:33:20 PM
CONWAY After two nights of final interviews, the Selectboard voted Thursday night to name Veronique Blanchard as its first choice for the permanent town administrator position, pending successful negotiations.
Blanchard, who currently serves in roles on the Conway Board of Health and as the assistant emergency management director for the town, was the Selectboard’s top candidate of the four who were interviewed between Wednesday and Thursday night.
Selectboard Chair Bob Armstrong said the idea is to have a permanent administrator in place by July 1. Negotiations with Blanchard will begin next week, and if successful, the board will extend her a formal offer.
Infrastructure money could aid push to plug oil, gas wells
LAURA LEGERE and ANYA LITVAK, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
April 24, 2021
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PITTSBURGH (AP) By some accounts, Pennsylvania has the worst accumulation of old, unplugged, ownerless oil and gas wells in the nation. There are an estimated 200,000 of them, and the cost to plug them could exceed $6 billion.
The state’s orphan well plugging program has been underfunded for decades, but it is primed to take advantage of an influx of cash.
Part of President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion proposal to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure would dedicate $16 billion to reclaiming abandoned wells and mines across the U.S.
Red Tide is cause of concern near Piney Point discharge in Tampa Bay
âWeâre still at the very beginning of the Piney Point spill in Tampa Bay,â an environmental advocate says.
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A fisherman traverses a shipping channel on Friday off the coastal mangrove estuaries of Bishop Harbor and the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve near Port Manatee. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Tampa Bay Times ]
Updated 4 hours ago
TAMPA BAY â About 11 miles separate the area around Port Manatee, where an estimated 215 million gallons of wastewater were recently released into Tampa Bay, and the spot off Manatee County where water samples this week turned up a dreaded result:
Florida To Close Dangerous Wastewater Reservoir
In a reminder of just how dangerous and difficult it can be to manage wastewater, Floridians were forced to evacuate their homes earlier this month when a local reservoir began leaking and appeared close to bursting wide open. Now, the state is moving to permanently close the site that poses such risk.
“Florida is moving to permanently close the leaky Piney Point wastewater reservoir that poured millions of gallons of water into Tampa Bay while threatening to burst open and flood nearby homes and businesses, Gov. Ron DeSantis said,” according to the Associated Press. “The Republican governor said at a news conference at the site that the chronic challenges of containing polluted water at the long-closed phosphate plant must end.”