佛罗里达州州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯（Ron DeSantis）于4月13日指示与与以前的磷酸盐制造工厂有关的工业保留池永久关闭，该池塘在磷酸化县皮尼角（Piney Point有毒废水进入坦帕湾。

DeSantis将1540万美元重定向使用，用于使用创新技术来治疗储层水中磷和氮的升高水平。

佛罗里达州参议院主席威尔顿·辛普森（Wilton Simpson）表示，立法机关最初将拨款1亿美元，以开始关闭676英亩的废物存储现场，并在年底之前增加了资金，以全额资助关闭。辛普森此前估计，关闭成本为2亿美元。

A state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) team of engineers and scientists will develop a plan to close the site, said DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein. “This plan will ensure this closure is the last chapter in the long history of Piney Point,” he said.

DEP also established a legal team to hold accountable HRK Holdings, which has owned the property since 2006, and any other corporations or individuals, for recent problems at the reservoir, Valenstein said. HRK purchased the property from the state DEP for $4.3 million, with the requirement that it maintain the phosphogypsum containment facility, known as a "stack," and contaminated wastewater left from the plant's former operations.

根据美国环境保护局数据，佛罗里达州约有25％的全球磷酸盐开采和80％的美国生产。在美国，每年大约有2300万吨开采和消费。

第一步

环境倡导组织Earthjustice表示，佛罗里达州计划是第一步，但它需要调查该州其他此类磷酸盐废物。环保组织说：“在这一点上，这些磷酸盐设施中的任何一个都没有借口来避免审查。”

HRK Holdings employees reached by phone said they were not in a position to comment on DeSantis’ plan for closure. The firm said in an earlier statement to The Free Press that it was working with federal, state and county officials to manage the discharge.

HRK had claimed that the “defective lining,” which also failed in 2011, was installed before it acquired the property, and that the original design and installation of the liner led to the failures.

州和地方当局说，DeSantis的命令是在4月6日的保留池中紧急逐渐减少的，这充分降低了灾难性失败的风险，威胁到邻近的房屋和企业。

罗恩·德桑蒂斯（Ron DeSantis）于4月3日发布了紧急状态，促使估计附近有316个家庭撤离。该紧急声明于4月6日取消。

The retention pond had held 480 million gallons of wastewater

减压

In early April, crews began pumping water out of the pond to reduce pressure on surrounding berms, which authorities feared could fail. Controlled discharges were released into Port Manatee, which feeds directly into Tampa Bay, prompting concerns that the contaminants could fuel an algae bloom.

“I hate to see what’s happened in terms of algae bloom and red tide, not just here but across the state,” said Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) on April 5. “When I see water flowing into Tampa Bay, frankly it makes me sick.”

截至4月6日，每天从池塘中取出超过3500万加仑的水。受损的池塘中仍有大约3亿加仑的水。

持续关注的是孔的完整性，是墙壁一部分中的集中渗漏区域。海牛县公共安全总监雅各布·索尔（Jacob Saur）宣布，4月6日，渗漏率下降了。现在正在控制进入附近小溪的另一个区域正在控制。

Saur补充说，美国陆军工程兵团在4月6日提供的一份报告显示，如果发生违规，整个受影响的地区的数量和速度方面的流量要低得多”。他补充说，淹没的潜在区域将是农田，湖泊和低地。

Kevin Guthrie, deputy director at the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said roughly 75 state employees and contractors have been deployed to the site in recent days. Drone teams fly around the site at regular intervals to gather real-time data for ongoing investigations.

他说，机组人员还部署了一辆可远程操作的潜水车，以查找泄漏并帮助团队提出临时补丁。还可以部署测深痛来扫描衬里。

他说：“我们的目标是购买环境保护时间。”

Among the possible long-term solutions, the county board unanimously authorized the use of a deep injection well on county-owned property near the Piney Point site, said Vanessa Baugh, chair of the Manatee County Commission. The authorization gives commissioners “total control over the well,” including the ability to set water quality standards.

她说：“北海牛的居民和企业主可以放心，在井中之前将对水进行处理，然后封顶，以确保没有其他水进入。”

派尼角（Piney Point）拥有数十年的溢出和泄漏历史。布坎南说，HRK“需要完全负责。”