SECOND potential breach is found at Florida reservoir as officials race to drain it before it's wall collapses and 'catastrophic' 20ft wall of polluted water is released over Tampa Bay

 A drone has discovered a possible second breach in a large Florida wastewater reservoir which officials are rushing to drain before it collapses entirely and releases a 20ft wall of water on homes and businesses nearby.

The Piney Point Reservoir in Tampa sits on stacks of phosphogypsum, a solid radioactive byproduct from manufacturing fertilizer plant nearby. 

State authorities say the water in the breached pond is not radioactive but it contains too much nitrogen and can therefore cause algae to grow faster and kill fish. 


But it could also harm humans who come into contact with it or eat tainted fish and on Monday, Congress Vern Buchanan said it looked 'pretty contaminated.'

For around a week, a leak in the reservoir wall has meant that between 2million and 3million gallons water have been escaping every day.

To try to avoid a total collapse, officials are pumping water out of it now and into the Tampa Bay, while residents who have not already been evacuated wait for news. 


The original breach at the Piney Point resevoir in Manatee County near Tampa is shown above. Overnight, the Army Corps of Engineers found a second using thermal imagery

The original breach at the Piney Point resevoir in Manatee County near Tampa is shown above. Overnight, the Army Corps of Engineers found a second using thermal imagery


An aerial view of the breached reservoir at Piney Point, near Tampa, where water containing pollutants has been leaking underground for days. Officials are now trying to pump water our of it, into the Tampa Bay, to avoid a total collapse and 'catastrophic flooding'

An aerial view of the breached reservoir at Piney Point, near Tampa, where water containing pollutants has been leaking underground for days. Officials are now trying to pump water our of it, into the Tampa Bay, to avoid a total collapse and 'catastrophic flooding'

The reservoir is shown, right, with the stacks which are beneath it tabbed up. Right now, water is being pumped from it into Tampa Bay, to the left, to avoid the total collapse of the reservoir wall which would unleash water on homes and businesses

The reservoir is shown, right, with the stacks which are beneath it tabbed up. Right now, water is being pumped from it into Tampa Bay, to the left, to avoid the total collapse of the reservoir wall which would unleash water on homes and businesses

This is the current evacuation zone for the area. There are houses, businesses, a county jail and a small airport within it

This is the current evacuation zone for the area. There are houses, businesses, a county jail and a small airport within it

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, addresses the media Monday, April 5, 2021. Officials announced that at 2am, they detected a second possible leak using infared drones which detected a change in temperature

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, addresses the media Monday, April 5, 2021. Officials announced that at 2am, they detected a second possible leak using infared drones which detected a change in temperature

Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency. If the reservoir collapses, it would trigger 'catastrophic' flooding in the area, and residents have the added worry of the water containing pollutants. 

On Monday, a drone was sent to examine the reservoir from above. It found a second potential breach, which officials are now investigating. 

'At approximately 2 a.m., an infrared drone identified a signature that could indicate a second breach. 


'However ... the Army Corps of Engineers, new engineers from the [Florida] Department of Environmental Protection are back out at the site now and they are reassessing that, Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur said. 

Saur added that it was only detected because the temperature of the water in the area of the breach was different. 

Rep. Buchanan said on Monday: 'To see the water spewing out, it looked pretty contaminated to me. I continue to be concerned about this.

'I want the best and the brightest on the ground. It's something that could have been dealt with over the years.' 

He added that he was concerned about the threat to homes in addition to wildlife.  

Among those are the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, Buchanan said at a news conference. 

'I think we are making some progress. This is something that has been going on too long. Now, I think everybody is focused on this.' 

Another view of the breach which has been allowing millions of gallons of water to gush out of the reservoir for days

Another view of the breach which has been allowing millions of gallons of water to gush out of the reservoir for days

There are a number of homes and businesses near the plant that are at risk of being flooded. Above, Port Manatee, where the water is being pumped into the Tampa Bay now

There are a number of homes and businesses near the plant that are at risk of being flooded. Above, Port Manatee, where the water is being pumped into the Tampa Bay now

The Florida National Guard has flown pumps to the reservoir site and the Army Corps of Engineers is also there
The Florida National Guard has flown pumps to the reservoir site and the Army Corps of Engineers is also there

The Florida National Guard has flown pumps to the reservoir site and the Army Corps of Engineers is also there

Wastewater from Piney Point is flowing into Tampa Bay at this berth at Port Manatee. Above, the port on Monday

Wastewater from Piney Point is flowing into Tampa Bay at this berth at Port Manatee. Above, the port on Monday

In this photo taken by a drone a new expanded emergency evacuation order was sent out to an area around Piney Point, the former phosphate mine, Saturday, April 3, 2021 near Bradenton, Florida

In this photo taken by a drone a new expanded emergency evacuation order was sent out to an area around Piney Point, the former phosphate mine, Saturday, April 3, 2021 near Bradenton, Florida 

GILLETTE, FLORIDA - APRIL 05: U.S. Highway 41 northbound and southbound is closed due to a possible wastewater breach at the former Piney Point phosphate plant on April 5, 2021 in Gillette, Florida

GILLETTE, FLORIDA - APRIL 05: U.S. Highway 41 northbound and southbound is closed due to a possible wastewater breach at the former Piney Point phosphate plant on April 5, 2021 in Gillette, Florida

There is an area nearby that remains under an evacuation order and others who are outside of the zone but nearby say they too are getting ready to leave. 

Melissa Fitzsimmons lives with her husband and 19-month-old daughter in Palmetto, Florida, on the edge of the evacuation zone. Fitzsimmons said that for the past four days she has been terrified since she found out about the leak. While her house is on a hill and may not be directly affected by the water if the leak continues to grow, Fitzsimmons said her family is preparing for the worst.

'Within 24 hours it escalated to like a catastrophic evacuation, and we really didn't know anything until we saw that there was an evacuation and then suddenly an evacuation within the block of our house. 

'We´re not in the full on evacuation zone so we didn't make the decision to leave, but we are certainly ready to go, I would say within like a 10-second notice, we can be out the door.'

Governor Ron DeSantis toured the site in a helicopter on Sunday

Governor Ron DeSantis toured the site in a helicopter on Sunday

Scott Hopes, the Manatee County administrator, said the additional pumps should increase the capacity for a controlled release of the water from about 35 million gallons (about a 132 million liters) a day to between 75 million and 100 million gallons a day.

'This has become a very focused local, state and national issue,' Hopes said.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection says the water in the pond is primarily salt water mixed with wastewater and storm water. It has elevated levels of phosphorous and nitrogen and is acidic, but not expected to be toxic, the agency says. The ponds sit in stacks of phosphogypsum, a solid radioactive byproduct from manufacturing fertilizer. State authorities say the water in the breached pond is not radioactive.

Still, the EPA says too much nitrogen in the wastewater causes algae to grow faster, leading to fish kills. Some such blooms can also harm humans who come into contact with polluted waters, or eat tainted fish.

The Piney Point reservoir, and others like it storing the phosphogypsum byproduct, have been left unaddressed for far too long, environmental groups say.

'This environmental disaster is made worse by the fact it was entirely foreseeable and preventable,' said Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "With 24 more phosphogypsum stacks storing more than 1 billion tons of this dangerous, radioactive waste in Florida, the EPA needs to step in right now."

Dale Rucker, a hydrologist and former editor of the Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics, says the leak is a reminder that governments need to pay attention to aging infrastructure that could endanger the environment and put communities at serious risk.

'Continued neglect can have serious environmental consequences like we are seeing. These environmental catastrophes are going to happen with higher probability,' Rucker said.

Millions of gallons of industrial wastewater from the former Piney Point fertilizer processing plant in north Palmetto, is being released into Tampa Bay in response to the facility's second leak in a decade

Millions of gallons of industrial wastewater from the former Piney Point fertilizer processing plant in north Palmetto, is being released into Tampa Bay in response to the facility's second leak in a decade

SECOND potential breach is found at Florida reservoir as officials race to drain it before it's wall collapses and 'catastrophic' 20ft wall of polluted water is released over Tampa Bay SECOND potential breach is found at Florida reservoir as officials race to drain it before it's wall collapses and 'catastrophic' 20ft wall of polluted water is released over Tampa Bay Reviewed by Your Destination on April 06, 2021 Rating: 5

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