Piney Point

One commissioner said the well is a better option than having millions more gallons of wastewater dumped into Tampa Bay.

A groundwater expert says treating the millions of gallons of polluted water remaining at the former phosphate plant in Manatee County could be very costly, and that pumping it down an injection well is not as uncommon or concerning as some may think.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection says varying levels of cyanotoxins have been identified, increasing chances that the discharge at Piney Point will trigger a blue-green algae bloom.

The red tide bloom comes within weeks of a major discharge of nutrient-rich water from the Piney Point phosphate plant into Tampa Bay.

A computer model that's been used to track red tide and Tampa Bay's response to Hurricane Irma is now being adapted to follow the dispersal of contaminated runoff from the old phosphate plant.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that the state will come up with a plan to close the former phosphate plant for good after another leak late last month.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that the state will come up with a plan to close the former phosphate plant for good after another leak late last month.

Between the governor's allocations and funding projections from the Florida Legislature, Piney Point could cost the state more than $115 million to clean up and shutdown.

The ACLU filed a class-action petition last week for the emergency release of people incarcerated in Manatee County Jail due to the leak of polluted water at a nearby phosphate plant.

Workers will continue to identify whether there are any additional separations of the liner that resulted in millions of gallons of wastewater flowing from the reservoir.

CBS’ ‘60 Minutes’ reported Gov. Ron DeSantis gave vaccine access to favored groups and Publix. DeSantis called the TV report a smear campaign. Allegations around Rep. Matt Gaetz grow more intense as the Panhandle Republican says he won’t step down. And Florida scrambles to avert an environmental disaster.

The state says that 223 million gallons remain in the reservoir that had started leaking over a week ago.