Plan to inject Piney Point wastewater underground has critics

MANATEE COUNTY — Construction of an injection well to dispose of wastewater at Piney Point is set to begin next month in the face of opposition from environmental groups and some regional officials.

Removing all the wastewater from the phosphogypsum stacks is a necessary step to permanently shut down the former fertilizer processing plant, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Shawn Hamilton said. The stacks were breached earlier this year, leading to the release of 215 million gallons of nutrient-rich wastewater into Tampa Bay.

For years, critics have expressed concern over the plan to inject Piney Point's wastewater underground, citing concerns about potential impacts on drinking water wells used by nearby residents.

But officials involved in the effort to permanently shutter the plant say it could be the most cost-effective and environmentally responsible option. A public meeting is scheduled for Oct. 6, and construction could begin before the end of that month.

Previously:Manatee County Judge appoints a third-party to take over management of Piney Point

More:State prepares for potential release of pretreated wastewater at Piney Point

And:Estuary programs blame Piney Point for worsening red tide conditions

A prior effort to build a well in 2014 stalled in the face of heavy opposition from Manatee County's agricultural community and environmental advocates, who have expressed similar concerns again. 

Environmental groups such as ManaSota-88 also made appeals to county officials asking them to withdraw their permit application.

ManaSota-88 Chairman Glenn Compton said that if the well were to fail, the wastewater could threaten underground drinking water reservoirs.

"There are no easy answers to getting rid of the radioactive and toxic wastewater at the former Piney Point phosphate plant," Compton wrote in an email to commissioners. "However, deep well injection is not a solution that should be considered." 

Former Venice City Council member Sue Lang also joined in on calls for Manatee County commissioners to back away from the plan. In an email Wednesday, she echoed the concerns, requesting to instead treat the water and release it.

"We strongly oppose any decision that would result in the deep well injection of the remaining wastewater at Piney Point," Lang wrote in the email. "The risks posed to our aquifer and groundwater for residents and agricultural producers are simply too great."

Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge fired back that her assertions were inaccurate.

"I have read your email," he replied. "While your email is full of disinformation, I do appreciate you taking the time to write me." 

What is an injection well?

Manatee County's injection well is similar to 260 others across the state called Class I Underground Injection Control wells, which are used to dispose of municipal effluent or industrial wastewater. Manatee County operates three similar wells already.

There are more than 17,000 groundwater injection wells in Florida, but these Class I wells are the most heavily restricted and monitored, Hamilton said.

During an hour-long presentation Wednesday, Hamilton outlined the latest updates for the Florida House of Representatives Agriculture and Flooding Subcommittee.  

"This project is one potential critical element of the necessary water disposal that will enable the ultimate closure of the Piney Point facility once and for all, eliminating the threat from this site to the environment and the community permanently," DEP said in a daily email update on progress at the facility. 

Hamilton said the well would not "directly put our drinking water at risk." 

The well would inject Piney Point's wastewater about 3,500 feet underground into the salty waters of the Lower Floridan aquifer.

That aquifer is separated from drinkable groundwater by an impermeable layer of dense rock estimated to be 300 feet thick.

Piney Point's wastewater is being treated to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus, and any solid materials would need to be removed to protect the injection well from damage.

Between 1 million to 1.5 million gallons of wastewater could be injected per day, meaning it could take about two years to drain the 544 million gallons of wastewater estimated on the site.

But the well would need to be operated for another 40 to 50 years to also collect and inject wastewater that remains within the phosphogypsum structure, according to a presentation in February by Manatee County's injection well consultant Mark McNeal, CEO of ASRus LLC.

Other options include release into Tampa Bay after reverse osmosis treatment

In her email, Lang urged Manatee County commissioners to support alternative options, such as reverse osmosis to treat the water so that it can be released into Tampa Bay.

It is not the first time the idea has been pitched. In the 2000s, DEP used the method to remove 2.3 billion gallons of wastewater from Piney Point. The agency treated the wastewater and used barges to transport and spray it into the Gulf of Mexico.

In February, Jeff Barath, site manager for property owner HRK Holdings, proposed a pilot program to pretreat the wastewater to remove nutrients and then release limited amounts into Tampa Bay, monitoring the environmental impacts before slowly ramping up the process. 

That remains an option. To avert another disaster, the state has previously indicated it's prepared to authorize such a release if heavy rain continues to fall on the wastewater ponds, which are inching closer to overflowing.

McNeal said that underground, limestone rock formations would naturally filter phosphorus, and to some extent nitrogen. He said the water would eventually work its way offshore over the course of hundreds of years.

“You are talking about millennia for it to ever travel that distance," McNeal said. "Hopefully, we'll all be vaccinated by then.”

Subscribe today using the link at the bottom of this page and never miss a story.