Will the Piney Point spill affect tourism this summer?
While the long term impacts of the spill have yet to be seen, the areaâs popular beaches have not been impacted and visitor numbers have stayed the same, county leaders said.
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Aerial drone image of the Anna Maria Island Beach with surrounding homes pictured on Friday. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]
When the story went national, Captain Scott Moore began fielding calls.
After millions of gallons of wastewater was released from the old Piney Point phosphate plant into Tampa Bay, tourists wanted to know if it was still safe to visit. They called Moore, who has been a professional fishing guide on Anna Maria Island for 40 years, asking if they would be able to swim and fish in the Gulf of Mexico.
An extension of the Bradenton Riverwalk will nearly double the length of the pedestrian-friendly pathway along the Manatee River, connecting the city’s oldest neighborhood to downtown Bradenton.
The Riverwalk’s extension to the historic Old Manatee district adds to ongoing efforts by local officials to create pedestrian-friendly interconnectivity between the various neighborhoods throughout central Bradenton.
“This is a viable downtown because of the pieces that have been put together, and it is important for the city to continue that growth as we go forward,” Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown said.
Known as Riverwalk East, the project will extend the popular linear park by about 1.25 miles, take about two years to complete and cost about $7 million.
Teams of scientists are keeping a close watch on the bay as they work to understand the impacts of so much polluted water flowing into the ecosystem.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection officials authorized the release of roughly 215 million gallons of wastewater from the Piney Point facility starting March 31 in an emergency response to a leak in a containment pond liner. That leak eventually became a breach, led to the evacuation of hundreds of Manatee County residents from their homes and businesses, local and state-level emergency declarations and the mobilization of a $200 million effort to close Piney Point once and for all.
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MARKET SNAPSHOT: Snead Island is one of Florida s best-kept secret
The island at the mouth of the Manatee River and south of Terra Ceia Bay has a pristine, old-Florida atmosphere.
Chris Angermann
Snead Island at the mouth of the Manatee River and south of Terra Ceia Bay has a pristine, old-Florida atmosphere. There are only 800 homes or so, surrounded by tropical foliage. Emerson Point Preserve, a 365 acres nature preserve – part mangroves, part Florida coastal jungle occupies nearly half of the island’s area.
A network of shell trails, boardwalks and paved biking paths offers plenty of opportunities to experience Florida plant and wildlife, including turtles, herons, egrets, roseate spoonbills and a wide variety of ducks. An observation tower provides panoramic views of the lush greenery and Terra Ceia Bay.
A computer model shows that a plume of wastewater from Piney Point has spread as far north as the Little Manatee River and St. Petersburg, and as far south as the Manatee River, as it slowly heads out toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Research teams from the University of South Florida are using a computer model that forecasts the path of nutrient-rich wastewater discharged into Tampa Bay from the former Piney Point fertilizer plant this month as they study how the polluted water is affecting marine ecosystems.
The forecast shows that a plume of the wastewater will shift back and forth along the eastern shores of middle and lower Tampa Bay, from as far north as the Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve and the Little Manatee River south to the northern shores of Robinson Preserve and the Manatee River. The forecast shows varying concentrations of the wastewater have entered important habitats such as Bishop Harbor and the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve.