Officials in Florida on Sunday warned of a 20 foot wall of wastewater and ‘catastrophic flooding’Daily Mail Online: LONDON, England – Officials in Florida on Sunday warned of a 20 foot wall of wastewater and ‘catastrophic flooding’ after a significant leak at a large pond threatened to burst a system that stores polluted water.
Governor Ron DeSantis took part in an aerial tour of the site and later held a press conference after more than 300 homes were evacuated near the large reservoir in the Tampa Bay area north of Bradenton Saturday.
He was joined by Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes, who warned: “So if you are in an evacuation area and you have not heeded that, you need to think twice and follow the orders.”
Governor DeSantis confirmed authorities in the state are “trying to prevent a real catastrophic flood situation” with 340 million gallons of wastewater that still could be released.
The governor said the water ‘is not radioactive’ but said that 100,000 bottles of drinking water have been shipped to the area. He also confirmed Sunday 316 homes have been evacuated and told those residents in the area to call 311 if they need help with emergency shelter.
Gov DeSantis had already declared a state of emergency Saturday following the significant leak.
“What we are looking at now is trying to prevent and respond to, if need be, a real catastrophic flood situation,” DeSantis said at a press conference after flying over the old Piney Point phosphate mine.
Residents who live around the Piney Point reservoir received an alert via text saying to leave the area immediately because the collapse was “imminent”.
Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Noah Valenstein told the Tampa Bay Times the potential environmental disaster’s primary threat is to human health.
“The imminent threat is public health,” Valenstein told the local media. “We can take care of nutrients in the environment…the bay is resilient.”
Management office in Palmetto, Fla DeSantis declared a state of emergency Saturday after a leak at a large pond of wastewater threatened to flood roads and burst a system that stores polluted water. Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes, right, warned: “So if you are in an evacuation area and you have not heeded that, you need to think twice and follow the orders.”
The governor said the water “is not radioactive” but said 100,000 bottles of water have been shipped to the area
Gov DeSantis had declared a state of emergency Saturday following the significant leak
Workers have been pumping out thousands of gallons per minute at the site to bring the volume down in the event the pond bursts. Pumping the entire pond would take 10 to 12 days. Others have been working to chart the path to control how the water flows from the pond into the Tampa Bay
The pond where the leak was discovered is at the old Piney Point phosphate mine, sitting in a stack of phosphogypsum, a waste product from manufacturing fertilizer that is radioactive. It contains small amounts of naturally occurring radium and uranium, and the stacks can also release large concentrations of radon gas.
- Top Feature Photo: Governor Ron DeSantis took part in an aerial tour of the site and later held a press conference after more than 300 homes were evacuated near the large reservoir in the Tampa Bay area north of Bradenton
