Piney Point

The permit will allow up to 4 million gallons a day of wastewater from the Piney Point facility to be injected nearly 2,000 feet below the surface.

Manatee County officials are pushing for approval of a plan to pump hundred of millions of gallons of polluted water from the troubled Piney Point phosphate plant into the underground aquifer.

They intend to prevent the injection of hundreds of millions of gallons of polluted wastewater from the Piney Point phosphate plant into the underground aquifer.

Members of the public can submit written comments about the proposal and attend a public meeting on Oct. 6 in Bradenton.

Newly appointed DEP secretary Shawn Hamilton says Piney Point can only handle another 11 inches of rain. But water is being piped out now, and a plan is in place if a hurricane threatens.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection says it's to "ensure safe storage capacities" during the rainy season.

Controlled releases of treated water may begin if levels in the ponds at the former phosphate plant continue to rise, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

About 267 million gallons are currently held in the structure, up from about 200 million gallons before the summer.

Once phosphate mines are used up, you can only build on them using special construction techniques that mitigate radon gas. Low levels of toxicity means they usually become preserves or cattle ranches. But several old mines in the Tampa Bay area have had a different fate.

The state is seeking the maximum allowable penalties and recovery of costs and damages from HRK Holdings.

Teams from Manatee County surveying damage found minor flooding along the Myakka River and the barrier islands, where some turtle nests were affected.

Emergency pumps have been installed to combat heavy rain and winds from the storm.