Curt Anderson
State Sen. Janet Cruz, left, D-Dist.-18, speaks as Nikki Fried, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, listens during a press conference at the Manatee County Public Safety Building in Bradenton, Fla., Tuesday, April 6, 2021, about the environmental crisis at the former Piney Point phosphate plant, where breached wastewater reservoirs are threatening to fully rupture. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald via AP) April 06, 2021 - 3:23 PM
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A mandatory evacuation order near a leaking Florida wastewater reservoir that affected more than 300 homes and additional businesses was lifted Tuesday as officials said the situation was under control.
With the deployment of more than two dozen pumps and other equipment, fears have eased that the reservoir from an old phospate fertilizer plant would burst through its earthen walls and cause widespread flooding in Manatee County, just south of Tampa.
By Bill Galluccio
Apr 6, 2021
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said that they found no evidence of a second breach at the 77-acre Piney Point reservoir in Manatee County, which has been leaking contaminated wastewater.
Last week, officials become concerned that the reservoir could burst, sending contaminated floodwater into surrounding neighborhoods. They ordered 300 people to evacuate from their homes and closed a nearby highway as a precaution.
The Piney Point reservoir was storing wastewater from an old phosphate plant. According to
Engineers have been working around the clock to contain the breach and pump the wastewater out of the reservoir. They have brought in dozens of pumps and ten vacuum trucks allowing them to remove 35 million gallons of water every day. The water is being pumped into the Tampa Bay estuary where officials are constantly testing water samples and working to ensure that algae blooms do not develop.
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By Bill Galluccio
Apr 6, 2021
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said that they found no evidence of a second breach at the 77-acre Piney Point reservoir in Manatee County, which has been leaking contaminated wastewater.
Last week, officials become concerned that the reservoir could burst, sending contaminated floodwater into surrounding neighborhoods. They ordered 300 people to evacuate from their homes and closed a nearby highway as a precaution.
The Piney Point reservoir was storing wastewater from an old phosphate plant. According to
Engineers have been working around the clock to contain the breach and pump the wastewater out of the reservoir. They have brought in dozens of pumps and ten vacuum trucks allowing them to remove 35 million gallons of water every day. The water is being pumped into the Tampa Bay estuary where officials are constantly testing water samples and working to ensure that algae blooms do not develop.