Crews at the former Piney Point phosphate plant in Manatee County have installed a steel plate at the site of a leak that has spewed millions of gallons of wastewater from the reservoir over the last week.
According to a Saturday release from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the plate is a temporary repair, and crews will monitor its success while determining whether there are any other separations in the liner.
On Friday, officials said polluted water is no longer being discharged into Tampa Bay at Port Manatee.
According to the release, 217 million gallons of water remain in the reservoir, with 215 million gallons discharged into Port Manatee as a measure to avoid a massive breach that could have sent a wall of polluted water into the surrounding area.
The DEP also said Saturday that crews continue to sample the water quality at the site, to determine any environmental impacts on Tampa Bay.
Two companies remain on-site to begin treating the water before releasing it in an effort to reduce nutrients flowing into Tampa Bay that can trigger algae blooms.
