Deep well injection project approved for Piney Point
The construction agreement was given to Youngquist Brothers, Inc. and the project is restricted to not exceed $9,350,000.
Credit: Florida Department of Environmental Protection
A crew working to repair a seal at the Piney Point site in Manatee County, Florida. Author: 10 Tampa Bay Updated: 1:31 PM EDT April 20, 2021
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. Manatee County Commissioners Tuesday voted 6-1 to authorize a deep well injection project at the former Piney Point phosphate processing plant.
The construction agreement was given to Youngquist Brothers, Inc. and the project is restricted to not exceed $9,350,000. The project is also based on the completion time of 330 days.
View of the Piney Point gypstacks
Manatee County commissioners recently voted to use an injection well to get rid of the remaining wastewater at the Piney Point phosphate plant.
Though the water would be treated first, environmentalists have raised concerns about pumping anything into the ground that has the potential to contaminate Florida s aquifer.
State and local leaders are looking into options after more than 200 million gallons of nutrient-rich water was recently pumped into Tampa Bay from Piney Point when a reservoir leak posed a catastrophic threat to the surrounding area.
WUSF s Jessica Meszaros spoke to Greg Rawl, a hydrogeologist whose company is based in Fort Myers, about injection wells, their efficacy and safety.
Injection Wells Explained, As Manatee County Approves Use At Piney Point usf.edu - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from usf.edu Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Samples taken Monday on the floodgates west side measured 22 parts per billion of microsystin, a toxin sometimes found in cyanobacteria, more commonly called blue-green algae, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
At 8 parts per billion, microsystin makes water too hazardous to touch, ingest or inhale for people, pets and wildlife, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Florida Department of Health office in Martin County Friday issued an avoid-water advisory for the Port Mayaca area and has posted warning signs, spokesperson Renay Rouse said.
With the Port Mayaca and St. Lucie Lock & Dam floodgates closed since April 10, the algae cannot travel to the St. Lucie River, unless the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resumes Lake O discharges east to the C-44 Canal that flows into the river.
PALMETTO As early as 2008, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was predicting possible disaster at the old Piney Point phosphate plant in Manatee County if a plan to use the site for dredging went forward.
The “worst case scenario,” the Army Corps cautioned, would be a tear in the plastic liner that engineers were counting on to hold back water perched atop dangerous waste material. Another worry the Army Corps raised: What if the private company in charge went bankrupt?
Army Corps officials warned the Manatee County Port Authority, which was counting on the increase in business. They warned the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which stood to show it could transform a costly mess into an asset. And those warnings reached HRK Holdings, the private company that bought the site and planned to make millions from storing dredge material.