Hurricane Elsa adds 6 million gallons to Piney Point pond, but patch remains in place
A patch that plugged the leak at Piney Point earlier this year successfully remained in place as Hurricane Elsa passed through Manatee County Tuesday night, state officials say.
Ahead of the storm, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced that operators took necessary precautions to secure equipment and ensure the ponds had enough capacity to hold the incoming rainfall.
Earlier this year, Piney Point, a former phosphate processing plant, triggered an environmental disaster when operators detected a leak in a pond that held 480 million gallons of contaminated water. FDEP allowed 215 million gallons of that water to be released into Tampa Bay to prevent a massive flood on land.
On Tuesday, the state agency said it believed the 10-foot steel plate used to secure the leak would be able to remain in place and withstand the storm. After placing the patch, crews struggled to keep it in place. The problem was resolved after adding more than 16,000 cubic yards of sand to the pond.
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, FDEP officials said the patch “continues to function as designed.” About 2.5 inches of rain fell at Piney Point, the department said, adding 6 million more gallons of water to the pond that began leaking in March.
Elsa’s impact on Manatee was subdued in most parts of the county, according to Jacob Saur, the county’s public safety director. Some areas saw localized flooding and power outages, but the county received few reports of damage.
As of Wednesday, about 249 million gallons of water remain in the pond. Efforts are underway to clear all of the water at the Piney Point site, including other large ponds holding millions of gallons of water.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature approved $100 million for the cleanup process. Manatee County officials have also approved a construction agreement to build a $10 million underground injection well to dispose of the water once it has been treated.
