Piney Point closure, lawsuit continue

BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com

PALMETTO – As the environmentally-unstable Piney Point site moves toward final closure, a pending lawsuit remains unresolved.

Contractor Forgen LLC has lined one of two compartments built to contain phosphate process wastewater and is working to place soil and grass over the area so that it will no longer accumulate rainwater, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)’s Aug. 4 report. The second compartment, still containing about 211 million gallons of wastewater, is next in line for closure.

The treated wastewater is being transferred to Manatee County’s underground injection well on Buckeye Road. To date, more than 70 million gallons have been transferred.

“This project is one critical element of the necessary water disposal that will enable the ultimate closure of the Piney Point facility once and for all, former Piney Point phosphate plant wastewater ponds are being drained into a deep injection well, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. permanently eliminating the threat from this site to the environment and the community,” according to FDEP.