What’s Going On At Piney Point? 5 Things You Should Know

PALMETTO, FL — Nearly a week after a breach in a reservoir at Piney Point raised concerns that a wall of wastewater could flood the area, the worst of the crisis is over, Manatee County officials said.

Scott Hopes, acting county administrator, said the situation “is very much under control” at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

Meanwhile, Jake Saur, the county’s public safety manager, said emergency operations have “ramped down” in a video released Wednesday afternoon.

Still, local, regional, national and federal teams continue to monitor and work at the site, removing and treating water from the reservoir to release pressure on the system and prevent a widescale flood.

Here’s everything you need to know about the emergency at Piney Point, the site of a former phosphate processing plant in Palmetto, Thursday morning.

How much water remains in the reservoir?

As of Wednesday, just before 5 p.m., about 258 million gallons remained in main reservoir, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which has been working at the site, shared in a Twitter update.

With dozens of pumps and vacuums on site, more than 38 million gallons each day are being removed from the site. As of Wednesday afternoon, about 173 million gallons of water have been discharged in the port.

At the start of the crisis, between three retention ponds at Piney Point, there was more than 800 million gallons of water.

What’s in the water?

The FDEP has been sampling various water locations in Tampa Bay and Port Manatee to evaluate the environmental impact of the Piney Point discharges.

While the Tampa Bay locations “are attaining marine water quality standards,” elevated levels of phosphorus have been found at “the active discharge point in Port Manatee,” FDEP said.

The FDEP’s water sampling findings can be found online here.

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Suncoast Waterkeeper and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, nonprofit organizations dedicated to the protection and restoration of local waterways, said the water being released also contains excess nitrogen and released a joint statement on Piney Point Wednesday.

“At the current rate of wastewater discharge, nearly 500 tons of nitrogen are on track to be released in the course of about a week. This is equivalent to approximately 100,000 bags of fertilizer, though levels of Nitrogen may vary throughout the water column in the stack and these numbers are an estimate, based on recent samples,” the groups said.

The wastewater has about 10 times the nitrogen of raw sewage, they added. “The release of 480 million gallons of this wastewater does the damage of or is equivalent to approximately 28 years of population growth in the Tampa Bay Estuary in the span of about a week. This violates the goals established to protect the public resources used for recreational and commercial activities.”

Excess nitrogen and phosphorous are known to fuel algae blooms, such as red tides, they said.

What roads remain closed?

The Piney Point-area evacuation order was lifted Tuesday afternoon and residents and businesses were allowed to return.

Many roads in the area, including the U.S. Highway 41 thoroughfare, also reopened. Only portions of Buckeye Road near the site remain closed.

What work continues to be done at the site?

In addition to continuing to pump water from the site, underwater dive teams and remotely operated vehicles will evaluate the reservoir’s seepage site. After this, based on their findings, the county and its partners will determine the best option for patching the hole.

What are the current long-term plans for Piney Point?

At Tuesday's Manatee County Board of County Commissioners meeting, commissioners 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.

“That action gives the commission total control over the well and allows the county to dictate the quality of the water before it goes into the well,” according to a news release from the county.

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, Scott Hopes, the acting county administrator said.

The Florida Senate also approved a state budget proposal that would dedicate $3 million to the initial cleanup at Piney Point, Bay News 9 reported. It next goes to the Florida House for approval.

It’s estimated that the full clean-up and restoration of the site will cost $200 million.

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• Inmates At Manatee County Jail Evacuated Sunday Evening
• Water 'Completely Safe To Drink' During Piney Point Crisis: Baugh
• Port Manatee Water Samples 'Meet Water Quality Standards': FDEP
• School Bus Transportation Suspended Near Piney Point Reservoir
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• $200 Million Could Be Added To FL Budget For Piney Point Clean-Up
• Crisis ‘Under Control’ At Piney Point Reservoir: Official