Manatee County officials said that the latest models showed that a breach at the old phosphate plant reservoir had the potential to gush out 340 million gallons of water in a matter of minutes, risking a 20-foot-high wall of water. Throughout the day the volume had decreased to below 300 million.
Florida officials are working to avoid a catastrophic wastewater pond collapse Share Updated: 4:03 AM EDT Apr 5, 2021 By CHRIS O MEARA and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON, Associated Press
Florida officials are working to avoid a catastrophic wastewater pond collapse Share Updated: 4:03 AM EDT Apr 5, 2021
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Show Transcript now, the good news here is that a full breach has not occurred at this point. Officials are calling the current situation a partial breach, meaning water is flowing out of the contaminated retention pond. But the Department of Environmental Protection is trying to work fast to empty enough water out of the pond and into the bay in order to relieve some of the pressure. They do have additional pumps out here removing some of that water, and at this point they re pumping just over 22,000 gallons a minute into Tampa Bay at Port Manatee. They re also pumping additional water into the borrow pits and lower elevation area