Work Set To Begin After Piney Point Deep-Well Injection Permit Approved: Manatee County

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Work will begin on a new deep-well injection system, which will cost more than $9 million, after approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Manatee County said in a news release.

Piney Point, a former Palmetto phosphate fertilizer processing plant, experienced a significant wastewater reservoir breach in March and April. During this breach, the radioactive gypstack at the site nearly collapsed, prompting officials to order an emergency evacuation in the area.

About 215 million gallons of contaminated water were pumped into Tampa Bay to alleviate pressure on the system.

Manatee County commissioners approved a contract with Youngquist Brothers Inc. of Fort Myers to build the deep-well injection system in a 6-1 vote at the end of April.

The well will inject Piney Point's process water about 3,000 feet underground to remove the remainder of the water from the site. The permit will allow the county to dispose of millions of gallons a day of process water from the facility.

That process water will be pre-treated prior to injection into the well, the county said. Also, solid materials will be removed to protect the injection well from damage.

“We will proceed expeditiously to see this fully operational as soon as possible,” Dr. Scott Hopes, county administrator, said.

Conservation groups in the region have spoken out against the deep-well injection system and announced plans to sue Manatee County over its plans.

"This risky, shortsighted plan would be a dangerous experiment and set a troubling precedent for how we handle failing phosphogypsum stacks," Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said. "The Florida Department of Environmental Protection recently approved the expansion of the sinkhole-prone New Wales gypstack, deepening Florida's commitment to living with these toxic waste sites for generations. It's easy to envision them granting another deep-well injection permit the next time something else goes wrong."

Crews are already working to prepare for the drilling of the deep well at Piney Point, which is expected to be completed by late 2022. It is being built on property owned by the county.

Currently, there are six other deep-well injection sites in Manatee County. One operated privately, one run by the city of Bradenton and four under the authority of Manatee County Utilities.

“This is a proven technology,” Mike Gore, utilities director, said. “It’s been a tried-and-true method to safely dispose of effluent for over three decades.”

Emergency funding from the state of Florida is helping pay for the fast-tracked plans, with millions of dollars earmarked for the clean-up and closure.

Once the Piney Point phosphogypsum stacks are de-watered, the site is expected to be re-lined, capped, and finally topped with soil and sod, the county said.