The Florida Department of Environmental Protection reported Jan. 18 that an investigation identified the “general location” of seepage at the Piney Point phosphate site.
The state first reported the seepage Jan. 6 and has said there is no concern with the integrity or stability of the stack system. The seepage was being collected and pumped back into the containment system.
Surveys, sonar work, dye trace studies and scuba divers helped identify the location of the leak.
The state’s day-to-day reporting from Piney Point began last spring, after leaks in containment systems resulted in the state authorized discharge of 215 million gallons of nutrient-rich wastewater from Piney Point into the Tampa Bay estuary system.
About 266 million gallons remain within the compartment.
Meanwhile, work continued the week ending Jan. 23 to drill a deep injection well for a depository for Piney Point’s polluted water so that the site could be closed.
— Lisa Neff