(117at) Piney Point: Breakthrough Solution in the Face of an Environmental Emergency

In April of 2021, a former phosphate facility located near the shores of Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, developed a leak in one of their lined containment structures. The leak threatened the integrity of the structure and had the potential to catastrophically release over 700 million gallons of slightly acidic wastewater containing very high levels of phosphorus and ammonia. If released this water had the potential to not only threaten neighboring communities but also posed a disastrous scenario for Tampa Bay where this water would serve to stimulate algae blooms and exacerbate seasonal red tide. This paper chronicles the emergency response with a focus on the efforts to contain and treat this water to discharge standards to mitigate any potential release. For over 9 months, our company, under rigorous supervision and monitoring by State and Federal environmental regulators, has been engaged to ensure that this water was treated to be suitable for discharge.