A leak at the reservoir of an old phosphate plant in Piney Point, Florida, as shown in an aerial photograph on April 3, has prompted evacuations, environmental concerns and threats of a full-fledged breach.
The state had been releasing up to 50 million gallons a day from the reservoir. The flow is now down to 5 million gallons a day, which will be treated before it enters Tampa Bay.
The amount of polluted water being discharged from the Piney Point reservoir into Tampa Bay has been reduced by 90 percent, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said on Thursday.
That means the releases from the former phosphate plant in Manatee County have are down to 5 million gallons a day. The DEP will also start treating the water from the reservoir before releasing it to reduce nutrients flowing into Tampa Bay, a release from the state said.
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The daily rundown Between Wednesday and Thursday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 7,939 (nearly 0.4 percent), to 2,104,686; active hospitalizations decreased 15 (nearly 0.5 percent), to 3,030; deaths of Florida residents rose by 84 (0.2 percent), to 33,906; 6,786,461 Floridians have received at least one dose of a vaccine.
“It would be very helpful to publish that there is a gasoline-fueled leaf blower ban in Old Town and that you can report to code enforcement violations 305-809-3740 or code enforcement@cityofkeywest-fl.gov”
âAnd then there is the ever-popular âIf you donât like dog-eared books, go back where you came from.ââ
âOver decades the Florida Department of Environmental Protection allows a chemical company to create, then abandon, a toxic waste storage reservoir. Now when the inevitable leak occurs, the state looks to the federal government rather than the stockholders to finance the cleanup. Algae blooms are headed our way!â
Why Americaâs water wars are futile | Column
Floridaâs failed court fight over Apalachicola Bay shows that cooperation and statesmanship are the better ways forward in our era of climate change.
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Taxpayer money spent on legal fees to fight Georgia in court would be better invested in larger-scale reef restoration projects across what was once known as the kingdom of oysters.
Published 5 hours ago
Updated 5 hours ago
When the French explorer Pierre de Charlevoix sailed Floridaâs northern Gulf of Mexico in the early 18th century, he declared the region Americaâs âkingdom of oystersâ â with reefs so extensive he and his crew mistook them for a rocky coast.
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The state says that 223 million gallons remain in the reservoir that had started leaking over a week ago.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced Friday that polluted water is no longer being discharged from the Piney Point reservoir into Tampa Bay.
The state says two companies will now begin treating the water from the reservoir at the former phosphate plant in Manatee County before releasing it. The goal is to reduce nutrients flowing into Tampa Bay that can trigger algae blooms.
The state says that 223 million gallons remain in the reservoir that had started leaking over a week ago.