Florida (United States) officials are concerned about Cracks in the reservoir of an old phosphate plant At Piney Point that can break.
It is feared that an accident will pour thousands of liters of contaminated water into homes and Tampa Bay. This Monday (5), the inspection drone received a second malfunction.
For precaution, More than 300 homes in Manatee County have been evacuated. Also, part of a highway was blocked, And hundreds of prisoners from a local prison were taken up or transferred.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Saturday declared a state of emergency in three states in the Tampa Bay area to free resources and confront the crisis.
MAP – Reservoir in Flordia – Photo: G1 Mundo
Fear of environmental disaster
Another measure adopted to prevent a large leak was the installation of new pumps to remove contaminated material for transport in the trough of small and safe concentrations of Tampa Bay.
While the practice is monitored by environmental authorities, there is also a fear that the solution will damage the ecosystem and, as a result, tourism.
A phosphate-contaminated water stock in an old Florida plant is a concern; Sunday photo (4) – Photo: Drone Base / Reuters
“It would be like dumping 50,000 bags of manure,” Tampa Bay Asteru program director Ed Sherwood explained to the Tampa Bay Times.
If the potential flooding of the area around the old Pine Point plant is successfully saved, all contaminated water can go into the sea.
DeSantis said on Sunday that these wastewaters “meet water quality standards for seawater”, although they have excessive amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen.
Algae grow very rapidly with these elements, and environmental groups fear that a discharge into the ocean of thousands of liters of these nutrient-rich water could cause a “red tide” or an algae eruption, which would not only be marine Will seriously affect life, but also tourist activity.
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