Officials work to repair source of major leak in Florida wastewater reserve By Li Cohen
April 8, 2021 / 10:10 PM / CBS News
The Florida wastewater reservoir that has been leaking since late March is now undergoing repairs, officials said Thursday. The source of the leak, which has resulted in millions of gallons being dumped into a local port, was identified Wednesday, and crew members continue to work around the clock to repair it, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said.
A small leak was first noticed at Piney Point, the former phosphate mining facility, near the end of March, but it quickly worsened. On Easter weekend, more than 300 households were forced to evacuate as officials feared the reservoir would collapse. Residents were allowed to return home Tuesday as the risk of a catastrophic collapse lessened, although many are concerned about what could still lie ahead.
Best spots in NJ to fish for trout
Dave Golden, director of the division, recommends Tuckahoe Lake in Cape May County for serious anglers, but his favorite place is Ponderlodge Pond located in the Villas in Lower Township, Cape May County. Both locations are great places to take the kids, he said.
Lisa Barno, assistant director of the division, said serious anglers will like Ken Lockwood Gorge between Califon and High Bridge in Hunterdon County and the Toms River in Ocean County. She prefers Ken Lockwood Gorge, because it s a beautiful stretch of river and there are plenty of wild fish to catch. She also recommends the South Branch of the Raritan River, downstream of Clinton at Hunts Mill Park. I spent many hours fishing there and it s close to home, so it s easy to sneak in an hour or two of fishing, she explained.
Florida House unanimously passes sea-level rise legislation; bill now goes to governor s desk
By Bobby Caina Calvan
An Clearwater Beach on April 14, 2020
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Legislation hailed as some of the most robust yet to defend U.S. coasts against sea-level rise is headed to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a proposal that would provide millions of dollars annually to communities threatened with losing ground to rising oceans because of climate change.
With 1,350 miles of coastline, including some of the country s most iconic beaches and prized real estate, Florida is among the most vulnerable places on earth amid the global fight against rising atmospheric temperatures.
The Senate also unanimously passed the bill Wednesday, meaning it is ready to go to DeSantis.
Money for affordable housing
More controversially, the House on Thursday voted 78-38 to approve a measure (SB 2512) that would divvy up more than $400 million in documentary-stamp tax dollars that in the past have been targeted toward what is known as the Sadowski Trust Fund for affordable housing.
The bill would direct $200 million in documentary-stamp tax money to affordable housing, with $111.7 million going to sea-level rise efforts and $111.7 million going to sewage treatment projects, Senate sponsor Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said Wednesday.
House Democrats objected to paying for other programs with money that could go to affordable housing. The Sadowski Trust Fund has been an annual target of lawmakers who divert or “sweep” the money to be used for other expenses.
Water Pumped from Abandoned Phosphate Plant Threatens Wildlife
It’s the kind of risk no one wants to see, but officials believed the other options were worse.
Apr 9th, 2021
Larry Brand, University of Miami
Red tide in recent years has killed large numbers of Florida’s manatees, a threatened species.
David Hinkel/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Millions of gallons of water laced with fertilizer ingredients are being pumped into Florida’s Tampa Bay from a leaking reservoir at an abandoned phosphate plant at Piney Point. As the water spreads into the bay, it carries phosphorus and nitrogen – nutrients that under the right conditions can fuel dangerous algae blooms that can suffocate sea grass beds and kill fish, dolphins and manatees.