Penny PointA former phosphate mining facility in Manatee County, Florida, was under 24-hour surveillance ahead of Hurricane Ian, CBS News reported. The site made headlines last year when a large leak was detected in the lining of a plaster pile.This problem leads to millions of gallons Wastewater ended up in Tampa Bay and caused months of devastating save time event.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nicky Freed told CBS News on Tuesday that she had spoken with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection earlier in the day and that, given current forecasts, they don’t think Hurricane Ian will be “a big problem. “.
“Based on the water at Penny Point right now, they can handle about 25 inches of rain. They don’t think it’s a big deal considering we should be getting 12 to 15 inches,” Freed said.
Fried said she was informed by the department that the water had been partially treated, so even if it overflowed, it “would not be a problem.”
However, she told CBS News that handling the water was something she “never had full trust and confidence in.”
Fried said the site is under 24-hour monitoring.
The state’s Piney Point update-dedicated website provided information on Friday, saying preparations also included installing backup pumps and adjusting water management levels. There are approximately 268 million gallons in the site’s reservoir.
According to Manatee County’s evacuation map, Piney Point is in evacuation zone B, which means the area could experience 14 feet of potential flooding.
On Tuesday, the county conducted mandatory evacuations of people in Districts A and B. Personnel in Area C have been advised to evacuate.
The state is more concerned with construction equipment on site, and the department is “squatting” and moving off-site to avoid high winds turning the equipment into projectiles.One deep injection wellThe site, which was approved in December and is under construction to hold water in the reservoir, is currently in the preliminary process of closing its south compartment, according to the site. Part of the process involves grading and shaping the area so it doesn’t collect rainwater.
“Secretaries seem confident that they should be able to take the rain,” Freed said. “Certainly if it’s going to be catching up with sustained winds of 140mph, that’s going to be a problem. But since this is probably a rain event that’s more rain than anything else in the Pine Point area, he’s confident they can sustain the rain.”