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Florida, man. There’s a very serious situation on hand at a wastewater plant near Tampa.
According to reports, the abandoned Piney Point plant is on the verge of an “imminent” leak that could unleash millions of gallons of acidic, radioactive water into surrounding neighborhoods.
ABC affiliated WFLA in Tampa reports that an evacuation is in progress and a portion of the surrounding highway and roads have been shut down.
“Evacuate area NOW. Collapse of Piney Point Stack Imminent!” Manatee County Public Safety said in an alert issued Saturday afternoon, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
There have been attempts to plug the reservoir — which contains phosphogypsum, a radioactive waste formed from fertilizer made from phosphate rock — with dirt and stones, but they have been unsuccessful.
Manatee County Administrator Dr. Scott Hopes warned that 600 million gallons of waste could flood into the surrounding neighborhoods and areas within a matter of minutes if the worst-case scenario takes place.
That is all the information that is available at this time. This article will be updated with new and relevant information should it become available at any time. If there is anything that we missed, please feel free to send an email to editor@teamcoed.com and we will respond as soon as possible.
