MANATEE COUNTY, Fla- — Manatee officials say all pumping of the untreated water from Piney Point to Port Manatee has stopped.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection says the main goal right now is to make sure any pumping in the future is treated to reduce the nutrients entering the water.
The DEP says by stopping untreated discharge, ecological impacts to the area will be mitigated. So far, no fish kills have been reported in the area.
Here is a quick recap on the situation as of April 9:
- Discharges to Port Manatee have stopped.
- Approximately 223-million gallons remain in the NGS-South compartment.
- To date, approximately 215-million gallons have been pumped into the port.
- DEP hired two companies to initiate nutrient reduction and removal treatments from water on-site prior to discharging to Port Manatee.
- DEP deployed diving companies and submersible cameras and identified a seam separation on the east wall of the compartment. Field operations teams are working around the clock to implement necessary repairs to the liner to contain the flow. The flow of the seepage has reduced and remains contained onsite in the facility’s lined stormwater management system.
- DEP’s interactive water quality dashboard details sampling locations and corresponding results to evaluate any environmental impacts to Tampa Bay from the Piney Point discharges. Results will continue to be posted as soon as they are available.
