Why is Piney Point leaking?

What’s going on? In late March, site engineers found a leak in the liner of the Piney Point reservoir pond, where millions of gallons of polluted water from phosphate mining operations were being stored. Phosphate is mined from the ground to be processed into fertilizer.

Why is Manatee County being evacuated?

Manatee County residents living near the former Piney Point fertilizer processing plant were evacuated Saturday because of serious concerns that a collapse of the walls holding hundreds of millions of gallons of polluted industrial wastewater at the complex by Tampa Bay could occur at any time.

What is Piney Point crisis?

Piney Point, a retired fertilizer processing plant in Manatee County, began to leak on March 27. The threat of flooding from an uncontrolled release led to controlled discharges of nutrient-rich wastewater to Tampa Bay.

What’s happening in Piney Point?

On March 26, a leak sprung at Piney Point, a phosphate mine and fertilizer plant that’s been defunct since 2001. The facility—one of more than two dozen in the state, nine of which are still active—houses stacks of phosphogypsum, a toxic, radioactive byproduct of the fertilizer production process.

Is Piney Point waste radioactive?

According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the wastewater at Piney Point is not radioactive. The biggest concern with the wastewater that is being released into Tampa Bay is the high level of nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen, which can feed red tide.

Who owns Piney Point in Manatee County?

HRK Holdings
That means HRK Holdings, the company that owns the property and was at the helm this spring when 215 million gallons of wastewater were dumped into Tampa Bay, is no longer in charge. Instead, Tampa lawyer Herb Donica will be given control, according to an agreement filed in court Wednesday.

Where is Piney Point Florida in Manatee County?

Where is Piney Point? It’s located in northern Manatee County right next to Hillsborough County’s southern border and across from Port Manatee.

Who is responsible for Piney Point?

The environmental crisis at the old Piney Point fertilizer plant didn’t originate overnight, and blame doesn’t fall only on the land’s private owner, HRK Holdings.

Is Piney Point operational?

Donica first started working on Piney Point matters in 2001. “I wake up today 20 years later, and we’re still letting water out on an emergency basis,” he said. The Department of Environmental Protection will continue regulating Piney Point as he handles day-to-day operations.