Concern Grows About Rainfall Capacity At Piney Point: FDEP

PALMETTO, FL — Amid growing concerns that the Piney Point site in Palmetto could face a second wastewater leak, state officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protections filed for an emergency hearing in Manatee County’s 12th Judicial Circuit Saturday, asking for a third party to take over management of the property.

The site, a former Palmetto phosphate fertilizer processing, experienced a significant wastewater reservoir breach in March and April. About 215 million gallons of contaminated water was pumped into Tampa Bay to alleviate pressure on the system.

Earlier this month, the FDEP sued HRK Holdings, which owns Piney Point, "for injunctive relief, cost recovery, attorney's fees, damages, civil penalties in excess of $30,000," according to the agency's complaint against the company.

In an update on its website dedicated to the Piney Point crisis, FDEP expressed concern about rain causing the reservoirs at the site to refill to capacity, potentially causing another major leak.

Since the beginning of June, Piney Point has received about 23 inches of rain, FDEP said. The site is expected to see at least another 11 inches by the end of September.

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The current storage capacity for additional rainfall at Piney Point is only about 11 inches, the agency added.

The department is overseeing HRK’s work at the site, which includes daily piping and trucking of water to nearby water treatment facilities, and collections of stormwater samples.

“The priority remains to pursue all available water management tools to ensure safe storage capacities for rainfall during the next months to avoid the risk of uncontrolled or untreated discharges from the site,” FDEP said.