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Partial all-clear in Florida: The leaky Piney Port sewage basin apparently has no second leak.

The US state's Department of the Environment said Monday that technicians had examined the situation and concluded that there was no second leak.

A drone with an infrared camera had previously reported evidence of a second crack in the plastic lining of the pool in Tampa Bay on the Gulf of Mexko.

Because of the leaky sewer basin, Florida is threatened with an environmental disaster.

Millions of liters of contaminated water threaten to spill into nearby homes and Tampa Bay.

The absolute disaster scenario would be the complete rupture of the basin.

The view of the sewage basin, in which mainly phosphates and nitrogen are accumulated

Source: via REUTERS

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In this case, "more than 340 million gallons" (1.29 billion liters) of wastewater could be released into the environment in a matter of minutes, warned Manatee County's administrative chief Scott Hopes.

In addition, a rolling “wall of water” six meters high could be created.

State of emergency imposed, residents evacuated

Over the Easter weekend, the authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 300 houses near the basin.

According to Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis, the National Guard and other rescue workers pumped 125 million liters of the contaminated wastewater from the basin, which belongs to a disused phosphate mine, every day.

The governor had previously seen the situation on a helicopter flight.

Even before the flight, DeSantis had declared a state of emergency for the area in order to free up crisis funds.

Governor Ron DeSantis flew the area by helicopter

Source: AFP

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The wastewater is mainly polluted with phosphorus and nitrogen.

Environmentalists warned that if the nutrient-rich water seeps into the ocean, it could cause dangerous algal blooms that are suffocating fish and other marine life.

Effects on tourism were also feared.

In the event of a flood, the wastewater could also run into storage facilities in which phosphogypsum, a waste product of fertilizer production, is stored.

Phosphorus gypsum is considered radioactive because of its content of radon isotopes.

It also contains toxic metals such as arsenic, lead and mercury.

There is a risk of mixing with toxic substances

DeSantis said HRK Holdings, the operating company of the shut down mine, must be held accountable.

The resulting situation is "unacceptable and it is nothing we will allow it to continue," assured the governor.

Upon request, HRK initially did not comment on the matter.

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Florida's head of administration for agriculture, Nicole Fried, wrote to DeSantis that the mine around 40 miles in the city of Tampa had caused various environmental and health damage for more than 50 years.

There were also repeated problems with the plastic lining of the sewage basin.

Local chief Hopes said the Manatee County authorities wanted to find a "permanent fix" for the sewage basins of the disused mine after dealing with the current emergency.

To do this, all basins should be pumped out and then probably sealed.