The emergency order follows the closure of parts of U.S. 41 in Manatee and Hillsborough counties and the evacuation of homes and businesses in the area.
Piney Point Live Updates: FDEP says site owner will be held accountable msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
From the Archives: Bending the rules at Piney Point, a $140-million mess
In a 2003 story, a top state regulator called Piney Point âone of the biggest environmental threats in Florida history.â
Â
Â
The earthen embankment containing the Piney Point waste has suffered from structural problems requiring patching with gravel. (2003, Times Archive) [ CERRI, LARA | St. Petersburg Times ]
By Craig Pittman, Julie Hauserman and Candace Rondeaux
Published Jun. 20, 2006
The warning signs were clear: The Piney Point fertilizer plant was headed for disaster.
State regulators knew in 1995 that the owner, Mulberry Corp., was struggling. If it went under, the state would be stuck with hundreds of millions of gallons of highly acidic wastewater in towering gypsum stacks perched on the edge of Tampa Bay.
Five questions answered about Piney Point leak in Manatee County
Whatâs a phosphogypsum stack? Where does water come in? These questions and more, answered.
Â
Â
A view of a phosphogypsum stack at HRK Holdingsâ property off Buckeye Road on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, in Palmetto, Manatee County, where wastewater is suspected to be leaking at the old Piney Point phosphate plant in Palmetto, records show. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD ]
Updated 49 minutes ago
A leak at an old phosphate plant site has threatened Tampa Bay for the last week with environmental catastrophe. Here we break down the pieces involved.
What is Piney Point?
It used to be a fertilizer manufacturing facility. Industrial byproducts of that process are still stored on site. That includes polluted water and phosphogypsum, a substance kept in stacks and monitored for its radioactivity. Managing those materials is expensive and hasnât always gone well at Piney Point. Past discharges have hit the valuabl