Florida Environment Officials Sue Fertilizer Plant Over Wastewater Dumped Into Tampa Bay
A general view of Frog Creek, located four miles from a possible wastewater breach at the former Piney Point phosphate plant on April 5, 2021 in Gillette, Florida. An evacuation order has been issued, affecting more than 300 homes in the area. Octavio Jones/Getty Images

After a leak earlier this year that caused the emergency release of 215 million gallons of contaminated water directly into Tampa Bay, Florida environment officials are now suing the old fertilizer plant responsible for the damages.

In a statement released on Thursday, Shawn Hamilton, the interim secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection in Florida, said the lawsuit was filed in Manatee County Circuit Court against HRK Holdings.

Leak Costs and Damages

According to Associated Press, Hamilton noted that the submission of the lawsuit was a pivotal step to ensure the final chapter for the Piney Point site.

Hamilton mentioned in the statement that this action enforces compliance with the state's environmental laws and all of HRK's existing authorizations, orders, and agreements with the department.

The state was requesting a court-appointed receiver to help to oversee the permanent closure of the former phosphate processing plant, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

In the lawsuit, the state asked the court to appoint a receiver to oversee the closure of the 466-acre property. The financial penalties included a $50,000 fine daily for violating a consent order that called for the polluted water to be removed from the site by 2019.

An additional $15,000 per day was also included for violating surface and groundwater standards and failing to meet financial assurance requirements.

Based on the Department of Environmental Protection, the state of Florida had already spent $45.7 million on emergency contracting at Piney Point as of July 15. The state of Florida was also seeking to recoup money that the state spent on the site.

Tampa Bay Contamination and Pollution

Decades ago, the plant had processed phosphate to make an ingredient in fertilizer. The plant operated at the 466-acre Piney Point site, but ponds of contaminated water remained at the site, and one of them started to leak in March.

Fearing that the reservoir could collapse and spill into surrounding neighborhoods, Florida officials allowed HRK Holdings to pump the contaminated water and put it into Tampa Bay to relieve pressure.

The work in the past left a byproduct called phosphogypsum at the site. It was a chalky substance that the federal environmental officials require to be held in strictly monitored stacks because it is radioactive.

Furthermore, scientists have stated that there were high levels of nitrogen in the wastewater. It was also suspected that it contributed to the recent red tide bloom that killed countless fish and sickened people in Tampa Bay.

When officials tried to reach the company, they found out that a telephone listing for HRK Holdings was out of service. As of the moment, officials are still trying to reach out to the company for comments.

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Catastrophic Failure Possible at Piney Point Phosphogypsum Plant - From FOX 13 Tampa Bay