Water securityRadioactive wastewater enters Florida major aquifer after huge sinkhole opens up below fertilizer plant

Published 23 September 2016

At least 980 million liters of highly contaminated water — including radioactive substances – has leaked into one of Florida’s largest sources of drinking water. The leak was caused by a huge sinkhole which opened up beneath a fertilizer plant near Tampa. The sinkhole caused highly contaminated waste water to pass into an aquifer which supplies much of the state. The waste water contained phosphogypsum, a by-product of fertilizer production, which contains naturally occurring uranium and radium. the Floridan aquifer aquifer underlies all of Florida and extends into southern Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, supplying groundwater to the cities of Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando, Daytona Beach, Tampa, and St Petersburg.

At least 980 million liters of highly contaminated water — including radioactive substances – has leaked into one of Florida’s largest sources of drinking water.

Forbes reports that the leak was caused by a huge sinkhole which opened up beneath a fertilizer plant near Tampa. The sinkhole caused highly contaminated waste water to pass into an aquifer which supplies much of the state.

The waste water contained phosphogypsum, a by-product of fertilizer production, which contains naturally occurring uranium and radium.

Mosaic, the company operating the plant, said the contamination posed no risk to the public health, and that pumps and other equipment were being used to remove the chemicals before they reached private water supplies.

Mosaic is the world’s largest supplier of phosphate. It said that a hole 45 feet in diameter opened up beneath a pile of waste material called a “gypsum stack.”

“Groundwater moves very slowly,” said David Jellerson, senior director for environmental and phosphate projects. “There’s absolutely nobody at risk.”

Jacki Lopez, Florida director of the Center for Biological Diversity, disagreed, telling Reuter that “It’s hard to trust them when they say ‘Don’t worry,’ when they’ve been keeping it secret for three weeks.”

The sinkhole was discovered by a worker on 27 August. It reaches down to the Floridan aquifer, an underground system of porous rock which is a major source of drinking water in the state. The aquifer underlies all of Florida and extends into southern Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, supplying groundwater to the cities of Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando, Daytona Beach, Tampa, and St Petersburg.

The aquifer also supplies water to thousands of domestic, industrial, and irrigation wells across the state.

When the problem was first detected three weeks ago, Mosaic began diverting the contaminated pond water into an alternate holding area to reduce the amount of drainage from the pond to the aquifer, and has been “recovering the water by pumping through onsite production wells,” the company said.

Jellerson said: “We have an extensive monitoring system. It’s already indicating that it’s recovering the material, but it will take some time for that process to complete.”

Dee Ann Miller, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), said the company is updating state and federal agencies on the situation.

“Along with reviewing daily reports, DEP is performing frequent site visits to make sure timely and appropriate response continues in order to safeguard public health and the environment,” she added.

“While monitoring to date indicates that the process water is being successfully contained, groundwater monitoring will continue to ensure there are no offsite or long-term effects.”

The Wall Street Journal notes that only last year Mosaic settled a massive environmental lawsuit with the EPA in which the company agreed to nearly $2 billion in improvements and clean-ups at its plants.

The WSJ reports that three Florida residents have filed a lawsuit against Mosaic, seeking to hold the fertilizer company responsible for potential contamination of their drinking water wells.

Plaintiffs are seeking “immediate and regular” tests of residents’ private water wells for signs of radioactivity and other chemicals until there is no longer risk of contamination, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida. The suit, filed on behalf of people within 5 miles of the sinkhole who rely on private water wells, is seeking class action status.

Mosaic is offering free, third-party testing of water wells and bottled water to nearby residents who want it until they receive assurances their well water has not been tainted.

“This new sinkhole demonstrates that the waste disposal methods of Mosaic’s fertilizer processing plants and gyp stack disposal systems can be dangerous,” Beverly Griffiths, chair of Sierra Club Florida’s phosphate committee, told the WSJ.