Mosaic expects to spend as much as 70 million dollars in the course of undoing the damage caused by the toxic sinkhole that opened up under a gypstack last fall.
Company officials revealed the ballooning price tag during a tour with reporters on the very edge of the hole at the New Wales facility in Mulberry.
The sinkhole, roughly 152 feet across at its widest point and around 360 feet deep, is one of the largest in the state. It opened in late August and sent 215-million gallons of radioactive water into an underground aquifer.
On Thursday, the media got an up-close look at the sinkhole and the progress crews are making to fill it. The review involved a briefing on the progress of remediation activities and a tour of the site.
Up here at the base of the toxic sinkhole. It's like a little community up here. Crazy sight. @abcactionnews pic.twitter.com/0zGxvn0Iea
— Ryan Raiche (@ryanraiche) March 2, 2017
Company officials estimate that so far they have pumped roughly 1,000 cement trucks worth of a concrete-like substance into the hole to start sealing it so no more toxic water can flow down into the aquifer.
Mosaic hopes to have work complete by early June.
The sinkhole sounded alarms for people living in and around the area who were concerned contaminated water may have leaked into their well water systems. All testing done on the wells, however, has come back negative.
The state has ordered regular well testing through 2018.
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