The Florida Department of Environmental Protection Dec. 16 issued Manatee County a permit for an underground injection control well for Piney Point’s polluted water.
The DEP said the plan to construct and test an underground injection control well meets regulations for protection of groundwater resources and the environment “following a thorough review,” according to a news release.
The review included 12 requests for additional information and about 7,356 public comments.
The county wants to transfer water from the defunct phosphorous plant to the well and then close down the site.
Last spring, the state authorized the release of about 215 million gallons of Piney Point wastewater into Tampa Bay and county groundwater to avoid the collapse of a gypstack at the site near Port Manatee.
The release of wastewater, prompted concerns about diminished water quality and algal blooms. The concerns proved accurate, as the area experienced long and intense bouts of red tide in the months that followed.
Conservation groups have filed two lawsuits over the operation of Piney Point and the plan to use the deep injection well to shutter the site.
— Lisa Neff