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What's happening at Piney Point? Emergency declared as pond with 'radioactive wastewater' on verge of collapse

Hundreds of residents living near Piney Point have also been asked to evacuate the area because a significant leak threatened to burst a system that stores water polluted with radioactive materials

MANATEE COUNTY, FLORIDA: A state of emergency was declared by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in Manatee, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties on Saturday afternoon, April 3, because a pond with millions of gallons of "contaminated, radioactive wastewater" could collapse "at any time". Besides, hundreds of residents living near Piney Point -- an abandoned phosphate plant located north of Palmetto, in Manatee County -- have also been asked to evacuate the area because a significant leak threatened to burst a system that stores water polluted with radioactive materials.

Not just that, US-14 has been ordered to be shut down from Buckeye Road to Moccasin Wallow Road, which will also be closed west of 38th Avenue East. The state department of environmental protection said the breach was detected on Friday in one wall of a 77-acre pond that has a depth of 25ft and holds millions of gallons of contaminated water. Officials tried to plug the hole with rocks and materials but were unsuccessful.

Manatee director of public safety Jake Saur said, “A portion of the containment wall at the leak site shifted laterally, signifying that structural collapse could occur at any time.”

In a tweet, DeSantis wrote, “Due to a possible breach of mixed saltwater from the south reservoir at the Piney Point facility, I have declared a State of Emergency for Manatee County to ensure resources are allocated for necessary response & recovery.” Senator Rick Scott also committed to providing help during tough times as he tweeted, “I continue to monitor the situation closely and will work to secure any federal assistance deemed necessary by state and local officials. All Manatee County residents should remain alert and follow state and local guidance.” 

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Explaining the situation, Manatee County acting administrator Scott Hopes stated, “You’ve got an immense volume of water. You’ve got 77 acres and it goes 25 feet deep. So, when you think of your bathtub, where you have this minuscule amount of water, you can imagine when you have that kind of volume and depth of water putting pressure on that.”

“The more time we have for a controlled release, the minimization of the uncontrolled….Every minute we go without a full breach occurring is reducing the volume of water that would go into the surrounding land. The risk factor is the potential release of nearly one billion gallons of water. We’re talking about the potential of 600 million gallons within a matter of seconds, minutes, leaving that retention pond and going into the surrounding areas,” Hopes added.

A statement by Manatee County commissioner Vanessa Baugh noted, “Our first concern is to protect people who live and do business in the area. People within a half-mile radius received an emergency notification to evacuate at 11:01 am. The public must heed that notice to avoid harm.” While officials at the site are working continuously to release the water in a controlled manner, around 22,000 gallons a minute. A statement from the state read, “The water being discharged from Piney Point is mixed sea water (primarily saltwater from the Port Manatee dredge project, mixed with legacy process water and stormwater runoff/rainfall). The water meets water quality standards for marine waters with the exception of pH, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and total ammonia nitrogen. It is slightly acidic, but not at a level that is expected to be a concern, nor is it expected to be toxic.”