Toxic Reservoir Leak in Florida Causes State of Emergency

Over the weekend, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state emergency, fearing a wastewater pond could collapse. On Saturday, residents in Manatee County, Florida, were ordered to evacuate their homes, which included 316 households. That was after county officials said the pond, located at the former Piney Point Phosphate Processing Plant, had a significant leak. People living nearby were told by the Manatee County Public Safety Department to evacuate due to a quote “imminent uncontrolled release of wastewater.” As of yesterday afternoon, the leaks had not been fixed, and last night officials reported there were a number of sites where temperatures indicated that water was seeping through.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced that water from the seepage remains contained onsite in the line storm water management. Officials are continuing their “controlled discharge” of water, at a rate of more than 35 million gallons per day. During a press conference, it was said that the greatest threat is potential flooding. Authorities stated that 600 million gallons could gush from the retention pool in a matter of minutes.