United States: Florida under threat of ecological disaster

Florida State Governor Ron DeSantis flying over the west coast of Florida.

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2 min

For more than a week, the contents of a wastewater tank located in a former phosphate factory have been leaking into nature, and the tank threatens to rupture.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attended the scene on Sunday.

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A race against time to avoid an ecological disaster has been started near Tampa, on the west coast of Florida.

For several days, rescue teams have been working hard to avoid a monster flood that could cause the imminent rupture of a wastewater tank.

A bursting of the tank could indeed cause a wall of water 6 meters high.

The governor of Florida has declared a state of emergency to release funds to bring more pumps and cranes to the industrial site of Piney Point, a former factory of phosphate, compound used for the production of fertilizer.

So far, more than 300 homes have been evacuated and a highway has been closed.

Authorities have tried unsuccessfully to plug the leak, and have now been pumping water out of the reservoir since last week to reduce the pressure there, at the rate of more than 100,000 cubic meters per day.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants to reassure: the water is not radioactive.

It would be mainly composed of saline water with the exception of nitrogen, phosphorus and other components.

But some researchers are warning about the possible proliferation of red algae, toxic to marine life.

According to Nicole Fried, in charge of agriculture in Florida, this is not the first incident at this site in 50 years of operation.

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  • Environment

  • United States