Crisis ‘Under Control’ At Piney Point Reservoir: Official

PALMETTO, FL — Manatee County has lifted its evacuation order for residents and businesses near the Piney Point reservoir, the site of a wastewater breach that has caused concerns for the area in recent days, county officials said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

Many roads in the area, including the U.S. Highway 41 thoroughfare, have also reopened. Only portions of Buckeye Road and O’Neill Road remain closed, Jacob Saur, the county’s public safety manager said.

Though small leaks were first noticed at the site March 25, a larger breach was discovered Friday morning. Worried there could be a complete breach at the site, causing a flood of water to unleash in the area, the county issued its initial evacuation order, which affected about 20 homes, Friday afternoon.

This later expanded to include more than 300 homes. Ultimately, 137 people and pets evacuated from the area while the county and its partners worked to control the breach and prevent a complete collapse, Saur said. Evacuees stayed at area hotels with assistance from the American Red Cross.

With the evacuation order lifted, area “residents and business owners can return home safely tonight,” Vanessa Baugh, chair of the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners, said.

Though the county, working with local, regional, state and federal partners, continues to mechanically remove water from the reservoir to alleviate pressure on it and prevent a flood, “everybody should rest assured this is very much under control now,” Scott Hopes, acting county administrator, said.

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He added, “We have dramatically reduced the risk in a very controlled way,” noting that he’ll “sleep better” tonight now that the crisis is subsiding.

With the state providing additional pipes and other resources, up to 34,000 gallons of water are being removed from the Piney Point main reservoir per minute.

About 180 million gallons have been released from the retention pond since Friday morning, Hopes said. There were about 480 million gallons of water in the reservoir Thursday with around 300 million gallons remaining Tuesday morning.

While some of the water is being released in Tampa Bay, much of it is being moved into a nearby unused retention pond and portable tanks on site, which have been provided by the Mosaic Company and can hold up to 150 million gallons, Hopes said during the BOCC’s Tuesday meeting.

The water will be pre-treated in the tanks before being pumped into Port Manatee, he said.

The water that is being siphoned into Tampa Bay immediately is coming from the top of the breached reservoir, Hopes added. “All of this is not good, but the water going into the bay…is basically the salt, brackish water in the top of the tank. It is far more conducive to being able to be absorbed into the marine water environment.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners also voted unanimously to move forward with plans for building a deep injection well on county-owned property across the street from Piney Point on Buckeye Road. The well would be used to treat and remove water from the former phosphate plant.

The injection pump is a possibility because of funds made available through Gov. Ron DeSantis’ declaration of a state of emergency in the area. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will assist by expediting the permitting process, Hopes said.

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