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- Contamination of Florida waters by the Piney Point plant
Contamination of Florida waters by the Piney Point plant
USA
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6 months agoProblems
The environmental crisis at the old Piney Point
A local environmental disaster has unfolded in the southern United States. Residents of the U.S. state of Florida found thousands of dead fish on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico in Manatee County. According to ecologists, the reason for the death of sea inhabitants was the "red tide" - abundant algae bloom, during which the water emitted toxins. Such phenomena periodically occur off the coast of Florida for natural reasons. But the most recent "red tide" was especially strong when sewage from the old phosphate fertilizer plant at Piney Point was discharged in the spring of 2021. Phosphates and other chemical compounds contributed to the strong growth of aquatic microorganisms that threw marine ecosystems out of balance.
What are the dangers of the Piney Point plant?
The Piney Point phosphate plant is an industrial site in Manatee County, Florida, and the location of a former fertilizer plant. HRK Holdings currently owns the land and leases portions of the land to industrial tenants under the name Eastport. In March 2021, a phosphogypsum stack, the dam to the reservoir storing wastewater from phosphate tailings created by the former plant's operations, began to fail, prompting evacuations on April 1 followed by the governor of Florida issuing a state of emergency on April 3. The contaminated water was discharged into Tampa Bay to prevent the reservoir's collapse. Piney Point is an ongoing threat to public health and the environment due to the following: ●The discharge of 215 million gallons of toxic wastewater into Tampa Bay, which is now experiencing harmful algae blooms and fish kills; ●The threat of catastrophic failure of its impoundments and/or stack system; ●The site’s failing liners; ●Violations of groundwater-quality standards and evidence that dangerous levels of pollution have migrated into the aquifer; ●The choice of an unproven and high-risk wastewater disposal method called deep-well injection to store hazardous waste at Piney Point.
How phosphates harm the environment
Phosphates and phosphonates seriously impact the environment: entering natural water bodies, they serve as fertilizer for algae, which causes excessive reproduction and water blooms. This mechanism leads to the death of most aquatic inhabitants and a significant deterioration of water quality. Contamination of soil and groundwater by phosphates leads to the deterioration of drinking water quality. A particular threat to Florida's aquatic ecosystem at this time is the process of "hidden eutrophication" of shallow and splash zones due to excess nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorus, associated with the discharge of untreated sewage from the Piney Point plant. The formation of huge thickets of filamentous algae of the genus Spirogyra in coastal waters negatively affects the habitat of more than one hundred endemic organisms of the reservoir. When the cells of blue-green algae die off, the water in water intake areas acquires an unpleasant odor and taste, which remains in tap water as well. But the main thing is that during this process, very dangerous blue-green algae toxins get into the water, which causes diseases and death of animals and people. These toxins are very stable in the environment, not destroyed by high temperatures, chlorine treatment, and strong acidification.
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2023
April
In Manatee County, workers started injecting water from the Piney Point phosphate plant into an underground well. A huge accomplishment this is and a win for the community and environment. It will prevent any of the water from going out into Tampa Bay because there's still nutrient concentration in the water. Studies have shown that the wastewater fed the red tide algae bloom that's caused problems for local waterways and the Gulf. It also sparked a major lawsuit by several local environmental groups, alleging that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and other groups long mishandled the site. Justin Tramble, the executive director of the Tampa Bay Water Keeper, says research is currently being done to see if there are long-lasting impacts from the Piney Point disaster. Treated water from the former phosphate plant’s gypsum stacks is now being injected into a deep well fortified by five separate casings. It’ll go down more than 3,000 feet past the Florida Aquifer. The well was completed by Fort Myers-based Youngquist Brothers, Inc., working with consultants ASRus of Tampa and Manatee County utility staff. The well will be used to safely dispose of Piney Point's process water into a confined saltwater aquifer more than a half mile below the surface. That process water — which will be drained from the reservoirs atop nearby phosphogypsum stacks — will be pre-treated before injection. Work on the pre-treatment facility has been underway since earlier this year. The permit allows for up to one million gallons of treated water a day to be injected underground. Work is being done to close out every gypsum stack at the site and put Piney Point in the past. Officials say about 50 million gallons have already been siphoned out of the stack and treated to remove pollutants. It could take upwards of three years before the site is officially shut down. "We will get that water level down in that pond to where it’s safe for the community, there will be no more side bursts of the wall. That’s important that way we can concentrate on our closure efforts and close out piney point for good," said Donica the court-appointed receiver responsible for closing Piney Point.
2022
March 01
The state has approved a plan to close Piney Point. Officials predict the plan could be completed by December 2024. Since the March 2021 spill, the state has spent $85 million on the cleanup.
February 01
The judges heard arguments on the dismissal of the claims against the state and the owners of Piney Point.
January 01
Piney Point still holds 397 million gallons of wastewater. Officials worry about how rainfall will affect water levels at the site.
2021
December 01
The state seeks to dismiss the environmentalists’ lawsuit, stating they are already doing enough to fix the problem. The permit for the injection well is finally approved and issued.
August 05
Officials say another wastewater release could be possible at the Piney Point site as an independent receiver takes control of the former phosphate plant. FDEP files a lawsuit against HRK holdings, the current owner of Piney Point.
June 24
In late June, the five environmental groups officially file a lawsuit in federal court against the governor, state, and operators of Piney Point. It asks a federal judge to oversee the clean-up, closure, and investigation of the old plant site and to ensure the waste is properly disposed of. FDEP again seeks to issue a permit to allow for pumping the contaminated wastewater deep underground but faces objections from environmental organizations who say the pumping could contaminate the aquifer and Florida’s groundwater.
May 18
Five conservation groups - The Center For Biological Diversity, Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, Suncoast Waterkeeper, Manasota-88, and Our Children’s Earth Foundation - on May 18, 2021, sent a notice of their intent to sue the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, HRK Holdings, and the Manatee County Port Authority for releasing hundreds of tons of toxic pollutants into Tampa Bay and groundwater, endangering the public, marine ecosystems and protected species.
April 01
Due to the risk of catastrophic flooding, about 300 homes are evacuated, as well as businesses and the nearby Manatee County jail. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in nearby counties. Pumping is suspended so officials can use technology to clean the remaining water before releasing it further. In addition, Florida State Senator Jim Boyd has amended the state budget to provide $3 million for the cleanup, but officials note that the total amount of restoration work could be as much as $200 million. DeSantis said he would also redirect $15.4 million from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's existing budget for the cleanup.
March 25
On March 25, 2021, leaks were discovered in the containment wall of a 67-acre (27 ha) holding pool located in a stack of radioactive phosphogypsum, storing nearly 400 million US gallons (1.5Ă—106 m3) of wastewater containing nitrogen, phosphorus, ammonia, and small amounts of radium and uranium from the former operations at the plant, as well as seawater from the dredging of Berth 12 at Port Manatee. The leak was reported to authorities on March 26 and worsened over the following days.