From the Archives: Bending the rules at Piney Point, a $140-million mess
In a 2003 story, a top state regulator called Piney Point âone of the biggest environmental threats in Florida history.â
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The earthen embankment containing the Piney Point waste has suffered from structural problems requiring patching with gravel. (2003, Times Archive) [ CERRI, LARA | St. Petersburg Times ]
By Craig Pittman, Julie Hauserman and Candace Rondeaux
Published Jun. 20, 2006
The warning signs were clear: The Piney Point fertilizer plant was headed for disaster.
State regulators knew in 1995 that the owner, Mulberry Corp., was struggling. If it went under, the state would be stuck with hundreds of millions of gallons of highly acidic wastewater in towering gypsum stacks perched on the edge of Tampa Bay.