Piney Point

There are concerns Hurricane Milton could impact phosphogypsum plants in the state. A leak in 2021 resulted in the release of around 215 million gallons of polluted water into Tampa Bay.

A federal judge has ruled in favor of several environmental groups that sued the Piney Point phosphate plant. Hundreds of millions of gallons of polluted water flowed into Tampa Bay following a leak there in 2021.

They filed the federal lawsuit after around 215 million gallons of wastewater was discharged into Tampa Bay in 2021. It said the discharges caused harmful algae blooms and fish kills.

The leak happened after an electrical circuit breaker tripped on a facility being used to pump polluted water deep under the drinking water aquifer.

A milestone was reached Thursday, as one of the wastewater ponds atop the Piney Point phosphate plant was closed. This means the troubled plant is one step closer to being closed - forever.

One of the ponds atop the phosphogypsum stack is almost empty of water. That should prevent a repeat of the 2021 release of polluted water into nearby Tampa Bay.

It’s proof that the plume of dirty water flowed from the former phosphate plant and out into the Gulf of Mexico, the study’s authors say.

Said Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando: "I am concerned that our approach is one that does not take in consideration health risks.”

Florida is home to 24 phosphogypsum (PG) stacks. PG is a radioactive, solid waste byproduct. The House has approved a bill to study whether PG could be used in road construction.

The digging of a deep well at the troubled Piney Point phosphate plant in Manatee County has been completed. Now, workers are injecting 1 million gallons of polluted water deep underground, every day. WUSF takes a tour of the site, to see what's being done to make sure huge spills don't happen again.

Here are the key developments at the troubled Piney Point phosphate plant, including a spill that prompted officials to pump more than 200 million gallons of the reservoir’s polluted water into Tampa Bay.

They warn that the contamination of Florida’s air, water and soil could increase the risk of cancer if the wins approval.