US Army Corps Of Engineers Assessing Second Leak At Florida Phosphate Plant - Official

The US Army Corps of Engineers is assessing a possible second leak at the Piney Point former phosphate plant in the state of Florida, Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur said on Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th April, 2021) The US Army Corps of Engineers is assessing a possible second leak at the Piney Point former phosphate plant in the state of Florida, Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur said on Monday.

"An infrared drone identified a signature that could indicate a second break," Saur said in a press conference. "The Army Corps of Engineers, new engineers from the Department of Environmental Protection are back out at the site now and they'r reassessing that."

Saur said the first breach in the containment wall at the Piney Point facility continues, but seepage rates remained steady overnight. He added that evacuation orders remain in place.

Manatee County officials have said about 22,000 gallons of water are being pumped out of Piney Point per minute as of Sunday.

The risk of a collapse at the site is expected to decrease by Tuesday.

Water at the Piney Point site is not radioactive, but it has high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, according to Florida authorities.

On Saturday, Florida Governor Ronald DeSantis announced a state of emergency in Manatee County after a breach was detected in the wall of a large pond at the Piney Point plant. Evacuation orders were issued as experts feared that the stacks of phosphogypsum - radioactive byproduct from manufacturing fertilizer - could collapse further, which could cause major flooding of nearby areas and spilling into the bay.