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groundloop

(11,514 posts)
Fri Sep 16, 2016, 07:45 PM Sep 2016

Fertilizer plant leak leads to massive sinkhole in Florida

Source: CBS News

TAMPA, FLA. More than 200 million gallons of contaminated waste water from a fertilizer plant in central Florida leaked into one of the state’s main underground sources of drinking water after a massive sinkhole opened up beneath a storage pond, a phosphate company said Friday.

Mosaic, the world’s largest supplier of phosphate, said the hole opened up beneath a pile of waste material called a “gypsum stack.” The 215-million gallon storage pond sat atop the waste mineral pile. The company said the sinkhole is about 45 feet in diameter.

The sinkhole, discovered by a worker on Aug. 27, is believed to reach down to the Floridan aquifer, the company said in a news release. Aquifers are vast, underground systems of porous rocks that hold water and allow water to move through the holes within the rock.

According to the University of Florida, it’s the principal source of groundwater for much of the state, and the cities of Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando, Daytona Beach, Tampa, and St. Petersburg all rely on it. The aquifer also supplies water to thousands of domestic, industrial and irrigation wells throughout the state.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fertilizer-plant-leak-leads-to-massive-sinkhole-in-florida/



And of course the company is telling people there's nothing to worry about, nobody's at risk.
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Fertilizer plant leak leads to massive sinkhole in Florida (Original Post) groundloop Sep 2016 OP
Florida sinkhole causes radioactive water to leak into aquifer muriel_volestrangler Sep 2016 #1
Except when Plant City extracted 1.5B gals in less than 2 days, causing sinkholes & salt water fill. TheBlackAdder Sep 2016 #3
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-07/documents/0000055v.pdf truthisfreedom Sep 2016 #8
"Accidentally" leaked... or "Conveniently" leaked? TheBlackAdder Sep 2016 #2
Holy Aperture! MowCowWhoHow III Sep 2016 #4
this is Rock Scott's Florida DonCoquixote Sep 2016 #5
Less regulation! procon Sep 2016 #6
I've worked in these plants over the years, the area is known as bone valley juxtaposed Sep 2016 #7
Mosaic has a wonderful golf course called Streaming. AngryAmish Sep 2016 #9

muriel_volestrangler

(101,271 posts)
1. Florida sinkhole causes radioactive water to leak into aquifer
Fri Sep 16, 2016, 07:53 PM
Sep 2016
The water contained phosphogypsum, a slightly radioactive by-product from the production of fertiliser.
...
It says there is no risk to the public, as the leak has not reached private water supplies.

"Groundwater moves very slowly," senior Mosaic official David Jellerson was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

However, Jacki Lopez, Florida director of the Center for Biological Diversity, told Reuters news agency: "It's hard to trust them when they say 'Don't worry,' when they've been keeping it secret for three weeks."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-37390562

procon

(15,805 posts)
6. Less regulation!
Fri Sep 16, 2016, 08:28 PM
Sep 2016

When Republicans promise their voters that they will get rid of all those job killing regulations, doesn't anyone ever think about what the consequences will mean? Most of those regulations are about health and safety issues, and here's another example of what happens when the state officials kowtow to corporate cash over the wellbeing of their own citizens.

But those same loyal Republican voters who are looking at their contaminated water supply will continue putting the same crooks back into office.

 

juxtaposed

(2,778 posts)
7. I've worked in these plants over the years, the area is known as bone valley
Fri Sep 16, 2016, 09:37 PM
Sep 2016

I would not call it a typical sinkhole. sulfuric acid is one of the main reasons this gyp-stack failed, the pond on the hill in the link below at the top of the photo is the gyp-stack.




here are 5 sulphuric acid plants at new wales plant which is the main cause of breach.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_Valley

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mosaic-New+Wales/@27.8443277,-82.1724108,11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xb95ef0a245d5744a!8m2!3d27.8443277!4d-82.0498446

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