Trouble looms at Piney Point. Manatee declares it the most important issue in Tallahassee
Draining the hazardous pools of contaminated water at Piney Point is officially Manatee County’s biggest problem.
Led by a suggestion from Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, the Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday afternoon to declare a solution to the former phosphate processing plant as their most important legislative priority in 2021.
The move stresses the urgency of safe disposal of the process water in the ponds at Piney Point, which pose a devastating threat to all of Tampa Bay. In a recent update from HRK Holdings, the company responsible for the Piney Point site, the ponds are in danger of overflowing due to heavy rainfall and a slow treatment process.
The situation at Piney Point warrants immediate state attention, said state. Rep. Will Robinson, R-Bradenton, who assured commissioners that he would fight for funding and a solution during the 2021 Legislative Session in Tallahassee.
“My preference, personally, is to solve the problem — clean up the situation. But look, we’ve been trying to solve it for 10, 20 years and nothing has happened,” said Robinson, who spoke in support of clearing the water, instead of permitting a deepwater injection well.
“I would prefer that we not do a deepwater injection well at this point. I’ve seen alternatives with filtration, specifically,” Van Ostenbridge added.
Process water is a byproduct of phosphate mining that contains certain chemicals that are hazardous to the environment. In a Sept. 22 presentation to the board, Piney Point site manager Jeff Barath warned commissioners that the site is in danger of overflowing.
There are 750 million gallons of process water on the site. According to Barath, the facility is using spray evaporation to clear water from the ponds, but that process has been nullified by heavy rainfall this year.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has been involved in suggesting a short-term solution that would allow Piney Point to send 50,000 gallons of partially treated water per day through the county’s wastewater system, which “would allow the Piney Point Facility to achieve a neutral, and potentially a slightly negative water balance over time with average rainfall conditions.”
Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt that agreement Tuesday afternoon. According to staff, there are protections in place to limit any damage to the county’s wastewater system. The county’s Utilities Department also reserves the right to shut off the flow if negative impacts are detected.
But that measure is just a “Band-Aid,” Robinson pointed out. Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said she supported a full solution to the problem, as well.
“We keep kicking the can down the road, and the bottom line is one day it’s going to come back and we’re going to have a mess,” Baugh said.
Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she supported an effort to install a deepwater injection well, which would allow DEP and Piney Point to empty the ponds quickly, but other commissioners were wary of that option, pointing to potential issues that arise in the future.
“Our issue is the overflow. We spend a lot of time talking about what commissioners have done in the past, whether it’s with the landfill or the dam. I don’t want to be the commissioner 30 or 50 years ago that’s talked about when something goes terribly wrong with this deepwater injection well,” said Commissioner George Kruse.
Robinson said he looks forward to tackling the Piney Point issue along with the rest of Manatee County’s legislative delegation but noted that funding any projects or improvements could prove difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It may be our most challenging budget year in at least 10 years, but what we’ve got is a really, really important issue and a really important problem for the reasons that I’ve mentioned,” said Robinson. “I am just grateful that this commission is taking it so incredibly seriously.”
Board members voted unanimously to prioritize a Piney Point solution on their 2021 legislative platform. Also included on the county’s legislative platform are funding for widening Moccasin Wallow Road, support for a study to determine improvements to the DeSoto Bridge and changes to the state’s stormwater and floodplain regulations.
The Manatee County Legislative Delegation Meeting will be held at 9 a.m. on Jan. 6 at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd. Members of the public can attend.
This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 4:15 PM.
