Piney Point threatened by Hurricane Ian, but rain won’t be the problem, operator says
Hurricane Ian’s path through Tampa Bay will cause problems at Piney Point, but site operators are more concerned about the wind than the rain.
The incoming storm poses a significant threat to the former phosphate processing facility, which sprung a leak in 2020 that forced the emergency release of 215 million gallons of contaminated water. Hurricane Ian is expected to add millions of gallons of water into the massive ponds on the site, which sits on the east side of Tampa Bay, near Hillsborough County.
In an interview with the Bradenton Herald, Herbert Donica, the court-appointed receiver in charge of site operations, said his team has been preparing for the storm since late last week.
“There’s a whole long list of things that have been done,” Donica said. “We’re as ready as can be.”
As of Tuesday morning, Donica said the predicted rain and wind speeds from Hurricane Ian should not pose a threat to the stability or capacity of the ponds at Piney Point, but the storm conditions could destroy some of the expensive, hard-to-obtain equipment and materials being used to prepare the site for closure.
Key equipment has been anchored to the ground, but Donica said prayer will be the only thing keeping some of it in place.
Equipment loss would cause Piney Point setback
The loss of the construction equipment needed to close the site would be a major headache, Donica said. The materials are expensive and ordering them took longer than expected due to supply chain delays.
“If we don’t have the supplies, then we start running into problems. There’s a whole daisy chain of things that can happen, so I hope (Hurricane Ian) downgrades,” Donica said. “I just hope we can preserve the materials we have on-site to get the job going again. We’re as ready as can be.”
After the disaster in 2021, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced plans to fully close the site in order to prevent future spills of contaminated material.
Over the past few days, crews at Piney Point have also adjusted water levels in each of the ponds.
“The water may get kind of high and we may have to set off a pump to move water to another part of the property, but we won’t have to do anything dramatic,” Donica explained. “It seems like we’re in good shape because the water level is down from where it was a year and a half ago.”
Will Piney Point ponds fill up with rain?
In an update posted Friday evening, the state’s top environmental agency said Piney Point’s ponds have the capacity to store up to 24 inches of water. The National Hurricane Center says the Bradenton area could see 12 to 16 inches of rain, with isolated totals up to 24 inches.
FDEP leaders also described some of the recent moves to ensure site safety.
“These preparations include staging backup pumps, securing heavy equipment and construction materials, and adjusting water management levels in the ponds to ensure the site can endure tropical storm force winds and rain,” FDEP said.
In the meantime, Donica said his team is continuing to monitor the Hurricane Ian forecast.
“If we get 20 inches of rain, we might have a problem, but I don’t see that happening right now. I know this is a big, big storm, but we’ve done so much to get it into shape. I’ve talked to FDEP and they like the numbers we’re seeing right now, which means we’re well-prepared for it,” Donica said. “I don’t foresee a problem.”
This story was originally published September 27, 2022 at 5:19 PM.
