Buchanan request spurs EPA action on Piney Point, Fla. contaminated wastewater leak

Following a request from U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will help state and county officials manage the risk of discharges of contaminated wastewater from the abandoned Piney Point fertilizer plant in Manatee County, Fla.

Rep. Buchanan toured the Piney Point site and surrounding area by helicopter on Monday and tweeted that the leak of polluted water at the reservoir threatens public safety, homes, businesses, farmland, Tampa Bay and Bishop Harbor. 

The leak detected at the large reservoir at the Piney Point site, a former phosphate processing plant that was abandoned in 2001, contains millions of gallons of wastewater.

“I called the EPA to make sure all hands are on deck to deal with this emerging threat at the abandoned fertilizer plant,” Rep. Buchanan said on April 3. “The EPA’s regional water division director assured me: ‘I understand your concern, I understand the urgency, I am very concerned myself.’”

Upon Buchanan’s request, the EPA will assist the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Manatee County with managing the potential collapse of one of the containment walls at Piney Point. “This has become a full-blown emergency, and we need to take every step possible to protect public health and reduce the impact on homes, businesses, and the environment,” the congressman said. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a State of Emergency in Manatee County to ensure proper resources are available for response and recovery. Approximately 316 residents in the area of Piney Point are under an evacuation order.

Rep. Buchanan noted that it has been known for years that the holding ponds of polluted water were running out of capacity and posed a threat and that he wants to make sure that HRK Holdings, the owner of the property, is held accountable for failing to protect the public. 

“But for now, we need to focus on the emergency at hand and contain the impact of more than 400 million gallons of contaminant flowing into the region,” he said, adding that the EPA’s financial and technical assistance could be invaluable in terms of disposing of the contaminated wastewater.