Florida mine dam springs deadly leak

Emergency crews in central Florida were working to prevent an environmental catastrophe at a leaking reservoir that risked sending contaminated wastewater toward nearby homes.

Ron DeSantis tours the area over Piney Point. Picture: AFP

Emergency crews in central Florida were working on Monday (AEST) to prevent an environmental catastrophe at a leaking reservoir that risked sending millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater toward nearby homes and into the Tampa Bay.

More than 300 homes near the site of an abandoned ­phosphate mine and fertiliser-production facility in Manatee County were under mandatory evacuation orders, and Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency to free up funds to tackle the crisis.

“What we are looking at now is trying to prevent, and respond to if need be, a real catastrophic flood situation,” he said after viewing the site by helicopter.

He said emergency workers, assisted by the Florida National Guard, were pumping about 33 million gallons of water daily out of a wastewater reservoir at the site, which has sprung a growing leak in its plastic lining.

“According to on-site engineers, a controlled release was necessary to prevent a catastrophic failure,” he said.

The wastewater “meets water-quality standards for marine waters,” he said, with the exception of phosphorous and nitrogen levels. Marine algae thrive on such elements, and environmental groups fear the release of millions of gallons of nutrient-rich water into the ocean could trigger a deadly red tide, or algal bloom, that can suffocate fish and other aquatic life.

A collapse of the reservoir also risked sending water into nearby stacks of phosphogypsum, a leftover from fertiliser production. Phosphogypsum is considered radioactive as it contains isotopes such as radon, as well as toxic heavy metals like arsenic, lead and mercury.

The Centre for Biological Diversity called for the US Environmental Protection Agency to step in. Manatee County officials have ordered a “complete evacuation” of the area, including 316 homes.

Florida agriculture commissioner Nicole Fried wrote to Mr DeSantis, saying there had been several earlier failures of the reservoir’s lining. “For more than 50 years, this central Florida mining operation has caused numerous human health and environmental disasters and incidents,” she wrote.

Manatee County acting administrator Scott Hopes said authorities were looking to permanently empty the reservoirs.

“We won’t be repairing the liner, we will be depleting the holding ponds of their water and then we will be moving forward to a permanent solution into the future once we mitigate the current risk,” Mr Hopes said.

Mr DeSantis said the operating company, HRK Holdings, should be held accountable.

“This is not acceptable and it’s not something we will allow to persist,” he said.

AFP