(Mulberry, Florida) Mosaic pond leaks 215M gallons of 'slightly radioactive' water

FOX 13 WTVT Tampa ^ | Sep 15, 2016 | Chris Cato

[Ray76]

Mosaic says 215 million gallons of "slightly radioactive" water has leaked into the Florida aquifer since August 27 after a sinkhole opened under a retention pond in Mulberry.

It's happening at Mosaic's New Wales plant in Polk County. A representative for Mosiac told FOX 13 News the plant stores wastewater in ponds on top of a huge gypsum stack.

The representative said they noticed the water level in one of the ponds dropping on August 27. About a week later, they confirmed a sinkhole had opened beneath the gypsum stack.

By that time, 215 million gallons of "slightly radioactive" water had drained into the Florida aquifer.

"We activated recovery wells... Capture the flow and pull it back into the plant," explained David Jellerson, the director of environmental & phosphate projects for Mosaic. "And we also have quite a number of monitoring wells and have increased the monitoring schedule to confirm nothing has left the perimeter of the site."

Mosaic says it immediately notified the state Department of Environmental Protection and the EPA, adding the groundwater has been routinely tested since the sinkhole was confirmed.

Sodium and sulfate are the contaminants of concern, along with phosphoric acid. Mosaic says, so far, none of those contaminants have shown up in the monitoring wells it has around the plant

[Ray76]

additional incident details & general background info

http://www.reuters.com/article/mosaic-sinkhole-idUSL2N1BS0OH

http://www.ourphosphaterisk.com/phosphate/byproducts

http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/phosphate-giant-mosaic-agrees-to-pay-2-billion-over-mishandling-of/2247897

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

I’ve already notified my friends in Florida, if it’s Tampa Bay area, I think they’re okay,

[Ray76]

For scale note the excavator near the top of the photo.

Additional photos in this article: http://www.newstalkflorida.com/news/orlando/sinkhole-drains-contaminated-water/

[killermosquito]

I have a growing fear of sinkholes. Some day Florida will be a beautiful island.

[chajin]

20 miles from my home. Gypsum is naturally very slightly radioactive, the accumulation comes from the large amount of digging in the phosphate mines.

[DocRock]

My daughter is a chemical engineer that used to work at this plant. The first time I saw it I mentioned how huge it was and she informed me it was the largest plant of any kind in the western hemisphere... Until Mosaic built a bigger one in Brazil. The sulfuric acid used in the plant was a much larger concern to us as it ate the paint off her car in less than a year.

[Popman]

I live near that area.

The plant is huge...

Enivormental wackos will be posting to social media we are all DOOMED...

[aces]

knowing how crooked the reporting of the water systems are by past experience with public officials, it may be a surfactant, perhaps chromic acid(radioactive soap) some disposal company wanted to get paid to dump..wish it was sarc..our system is so corrupt they may as well mug us going and coming to work for fun

[aces]

very true, but coverup for gangstamint projects is always a possibility

[aces]

now that’s epa compliant, they paid to pollute, your car goes up the chute..yea, gangstamint robs again

[aces]

now take that gangstamint doubletalk over epa regs and apply them to chemical weapons storage facilities, and you have nerve and mustard gas bunkers in such disrepair they are afraid to move them to them billion dollar facility they built to destroy them. Top that off with a saudi lab manager who does not mind if diluted direct stream samples from the bunkers are running on the counters and floors...yea...sad but true..we have turned our backs on good sense, and Israel, expect the death of America if the country does not repent and serve Him again.

[tiki]

That’s why I like having my own well, it could possibly get contaminated someday but I will know because I get it tested every year. I know what I’m drinking.

[American in Israel]

I think they call that gasoline tax.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

I ran a small water company, 300 connections, for 30 years. I’m so glad I no longer have to deal with the epa!

[Ben Ficklin]

"now that's epa compliant"

I don't mean to downplay this event at the fertilizer plant but Florida's real problem is the fertilizer run-off pollution problem.

This fertilizer plant is making fertilizer for the sugar and citrus industries in florida who use large amounts to grow their crop.

The fertilizer run-off(nitrates and phosphates) have heavily polluted Florida's surface waters and algae blooms are a major problem.

The municipal water supply companies spend sizable sums cleaning the phosphates and nitrates out of the water before they sell it to consumers.

Many in Florida want agribusiness to pay for this, but politicians get mucho campaign money from agribusiness.

[SES1066]

I live in the Tampa Bay area and have encountered these ‘waste retention’ hills on many an area bike ride. As can be seen in post #3 they are massive but what is not seen is their height. Think of a 3-4 story high hill that rises from Florida’s flat landscape and extends for half a mile or more. The retained water at the top is completely invisible from the ground and all that is seen is the grass-covered slope and one or more angled roads climbing up steep sides of 30% or more.

The radioactivity comes from NORM (Normally Occurring Radioactive Materials) found in with the desired phosphate rock. The wet processing method of phosphate rock mining produces phosphoric acid for fertilizer and a waste product of Phosphogypsum. The radioactive components comes from the selective separation and concentration of naturally occurring Radium (Ra-226), Uranium (U-238) and Thorium (Th-232). While most of the Uranium and Thorium end up in the fertilizer (yep, you will get clicks from a Geiger Counter), most of the Radium stays with the waste phosphogypsum.

Note that all 3 of these radioactive elements are heavy and tend to sink to the bottom in still water, which is why these settlement ponds are used. The clay used to seal these picks up the settled particles and thus becomes hazardous waste classified by the EPA as “TENORM” (Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials).

So, with the sinkhole opening in what appears to be close to the center of this settlement pond, the entire contents of the pond water went down the hole but not all of the settled radioactive material (good thing). Next good thing is that there are required monitoring wells scattered through and beyond the plant boundaries. These detect leaks and disasters like this. From what I have heard, the company has drilled a relief well to the acquirer level at the computed point of high concentration and pumped out. Such pumping will draw in the surrounding water table and is likely to recover much but not all of the lost waste water.

My personal view is that the local health risks are low and get quickly lower the further away one is. The radioactive risk is what makes this a national news story rather than a local contamination story. Science tells us that we are exposed to ‘radioactivity’ just by living everywhere except in designed locations like lead-lined room. Probability gives us a chance for stray ionization (radioactive particle) from ANY SOURCE to be a malignant BB that causes a cancer or other undesired health impact. The older we get the more we are exposed with weaker immune responses.

So, I, for one, accept the risk that these phosphate mining operations expose me to in return for inexpensive fertilizers that feed a burgeoning world population. To decide otherwise means going back to harvesting guano from bird and bat droppings and there are few enough places to do that!

[Awgie]

I live near there. Been aware of phosphate mining for decades. I am concerned. These lands were acquired and mines were dug back in the days when local politicians were easily bought off by rich industrialists. Little or no attention was paid to the environment including the water aquifer.

The land was swept clear of vegetation and a moonscape left behind in huge swaths of central Florida. The mining companies have done some “reclaiming.” The result is odd barren green zones, a golf course or two.

My point is, international corporations are no more concerned about you or your US Constitution than a typical democrat. They are not about “free markets”. They seek monopoly and a quick profit. They will use you and your land until they no longer need. Then they will walk over your remains on the way to the bank.

Trust multi national corporations at your own risk.c

[Popman]

-—Trust multi national corporations at your own risk.-—

I don’t trust a international corp any more than I trust Hillary...

End of the day, whatever risk there is to the water supply...
I do think the State of Florida will be all over this, if anything to fine the crap out of them if anything shows up on the radar...

[TXnMA]

Risk: Phosphoric Acid.

Phosphoric Acid = Coca Cola base...

[Rebelbase]

“The sulfuric acid used in the plant was a much larger concern to us as it ate the paint off her car in less than a year.”

I once worked a stint at a paper mill that put out corrosive stack exhaust. There were 1/2 dozen drive-thru car wash sprayers that ran in the parking lots at the end of each shift.