Posted on 04/05/21
| News Source: i24
'What we are looking at now is trying to prevent a real catastrophic flood,' Gov. DeSantis says
Emergency crews in central Florida were working Sunday to prevent an environmental catastrophe at a leaking reservoir that risked sending millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater toward nearby homes and into the Tampa Bay.
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More than 300 homes near the site of an abandoned phosphate mine and fertilizer-production facility in Manatee County were under mandatory evacuation orders, and Governor Ron DeSantis on Saturday declared a state of emergency to free up funds to tackle the crisis.
"What we are looking at now is trying to prevent, and respond to if need be, a real catastrophic flood situation," DeSantis told a press conference after viewing the site by helicopter Sunday.
He said emergency workers, assisted by the Florida National Guard, were pumping about 33 million gallons of water daily out of a wastewater reservoir at the site, which has sprung a growing leak in its plastic lining. Read more at i24