Florida Declares State Of Emergency Amid Risk Of Wastewater Reservoir Collapse

Floridas governor has declared a state of emergency over concerns that a reservoir containing 400 million gallons of wastewater from a former phosphate mine may collapse and engulf the surrounding Tampa Bay area, prompting efforts to drain its contents into local waterways.

Were down to about 340 million gallons that could breach in totality in a period of minutes, Manatee Countys Acting County Administrator Scott Hopes said at a press conference Sunday on current efforts to deplete the Piney Point phosphogypsum reservoir after a leak was discovered.

Hopes urged residents within the evacuation zone, roughly 12 miles north of Bradenton, to heed warnings, cautioning that current models show that a 20-foot wall of water could rush the area in less than an hours time if theres a total collapse.

If youre in an evacuation area and you have not heeded that, you need to think twice, he said.

BREAKING: @MCGPublicSafety officials just expanded a mandatory evacuation area around the breached Piney Point reservoir. The original evacuation zone has expanded a half-mile west and one mile southwest to Moccasin Wallow Road. pic.twitter.com/8rjsQrptdr

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BREAKING: @MCGPublicSafety officials just expanded a mandatory evacuation area around the breached Piney Point reservoir. The original evacuation zone has expanded a half-mile west and one mile southwest to Moccasin Wallow Road. pic.twitter.com/8rjsQrptdr
Manatee County Public Safety Department (@MCGPublicSafety) April 3, 2021

A leak in the 9-acre reservoirs liner was first reported about a week ago but it wasnt until recently that things turned dire as efforts to plug the crack failed, officials said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), speaking at Sundays presser, said 33 million gallons of the untreated water, or 23,500 gallons a minute, are being pumped out of the reservoir and into surrounding waterways per day with the help of the Florida National Guard.

He denied widespread reports that the liquid is radioactive due to it containing phosphogypsum, which is a waste product of phosphate mining. Phosphogypsum contains appreciable quantities of radioactive materials, such as uranium and radium, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency .

DeSantis instead said the liquid is mainly saltwater, rainwater and what he called legacy water. He also said the water is slightly acidic and contains elevated levels of nutrients, which has sparked concern among local fishermen and environmentalists that it could ignite another toxic algae bloom .