After declaring a county-wide emergency in Manatee, governor Rob DeSantis visited the affected area of a toxic leaking wastewater reservoir on Sunday. 

Governor Rob flew over the Piney Point affected area in a helicopter.

He spoke at a press conference later where he said, “What we are looking at now is trying to prevent and respond to, if need be, a real catastrophic flood situation,” reported AP. 

In a post made on Twitter, DeSantis wrote, “Today I joined state officials in Manatee County who are actively responding to Piney Point”

The toxic discharge threatens nearby homes and could potentially cause an environmental disaster in Tampa Bay. 

The county administrator, Hopes said on Sunday, “Looking at the water that has been removed and the somewhat stability of the current breach, I think the team is much more comfortable today than we were yesterday. We are not out of the critical area yet,” reported AP. 

Also Read: Manatee County: Emergency declared by Florida Governor amid health concerns

Earlier there was a leak in the plastic liner of the reservoir holding a large amount of toxic and minutely radioactive water. Governor Rob declared an emergency to release additional federal funds needed to tackle the problem.  

Following this, Manatee County Safety Department ordered a “complete evacuation” of the area around the reservoir due to the “further collapse of the phosphogypsum stacks” on Saturday. Officials are currently pumping water in order to release pressure in the pond and working towards blocking the hole.

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However, a warning has been sent given of dirty water spilling into the community, reported AFP. 

Nicole Fried, the agriculture commissioner of Florida wrote to the Governor emphasizing the long history of such disasters in the area.

She wrote, “For more than 50 years, this Central Florida mining operation has caused numerous human health and environmental disasters and incidents.” 

The evacuation order impacts over 300 households in the area. 

As per Sarasota Herald-Tribune, authorities have already released millions of gallons of wastewater into Tampa Bay, increasing concerns of the phosphate-rich discharge fueling a “red tide,” or algal bloom, that poses a grave threat to marine life and could hinder tourist activity, reports AFP. 

“We hope the contamination is not as bad as we fear, but are preparing for significant damage to Tampa Bay and the communities that rely on this precious resource,” Justin Bloom, founder of a Sarasota-based nonprofit said in a state

A byproduct of fertilizer production, Phosphogypsum is considered to be weakly radioactive. It is known to contain naturally occurring isotopes such as radon.