Radioactive water in Florida prompts evacuation

[rabidhamster]

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection says the water in the pond is primarily saltwater mixed with wastewater and stormwater. It has elevated levels of phosphorous and nitrogen and is acidic, but does not appear to be toxic. It is not radioactive.

Evacuation order lifted near leaky Piney Point reservoir

A mandatory evacuation order near a leaking Florida wastewater reservoir near Tampa Bay that affected more than 300 homes and additional businesses was lifted Tuesday.

www.google.com

Do you have a link to any article that says heavy metals are present in large quantities in the leaking pond? I couldn’t find one in a quick search.

Phosphogypsum is a leftover from processing phosphate, which is part of making fertilizer. ... “Most of the naturally-occurring uranium, thorium and radium found in phosphate rock ends up in this waste,” the Environmental Protection Agency says.2

Five questions answered about Piney Point leak in Manatee County

What’s a phosphogypsum stack? Where does water come in? These questions and more, answered.

www.tampabay.com

Phosphogypsum has plenty of other heavy metals as well that you wouldn’t want in the food you’re eating. Even many of the refined fertilizers themselves have more heavy metal content remaining than you would want on a food crop, or in the place the fish you eat live.

As far as I know the “acidity” of the water would make the heavy metals more soluble, meaning they’d be goin along where the water goes. This article isn’t specifically related to the matter at hand but examines heavy metal in varying ph water.

“The highest concentrations of the analysed elements were observed in acidic environment. For most metals, except for lead, an increase in the pH of the solution caused a decrease in their concentration.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389419314566

 

[dc007]

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection says the water in the pond is primarily saltwater mixed with wastewater and stormwater. It has elevated levels of phosphorous and nitrogen and is acidic, but does not appear to be toxic. It is not radioactive.

Evacuation order lifted near leaky Piney Point reservoir

A mandatory evacuation order near a leaking Florida wastewater reservoir near Tampa Bay that affected more than 300 homes and additional businesses was lifted Tuesday.

www.google.com

Do you have a link to any article that says heavy metals are present in large quantities in the leaking pond? I couldn’t find one in a quick search.

Cool it's okay now. Why all you guys so upset?

 

[KSG_Standard]

Cool it's okay now. Why all you guys so upset?

Because there’s a threat to life due to flooding, as well as risk to property. The scientists, regulators and other people looking specifically at what’s in this wastewater pond say that the water isn’t radioactive...in spite of the sensational headlines, and they claim the pollutants in this particular pond are organics and salt and that the water is only slightly acidic. These experts also claim that the water isn’t particularly poisonous and that it’s close to EPA standards for release into the bay.

Even @rabidhamster’s article, while explaining the contents of particular tailings ponds, asserts what I’ve quoted twice about the content of the pond.

 

[rabidhamster]

Because there’s a threat to life due to flooding, as well as risk to property. The scientists, regulators and other people looking specifically at what’s in this wastewater pond say that the water isn’t radioactive...in spite of the sensational headlines, and they claim the pollutants in this particular pond are organics and salt and that the water is only slightly acidic. These experts also claim that the water isn’t particularly poisonous and that it’s close to EPA standards for release into the bay.

Even @rabidhamster’s article, while explaining the contents of particular tailings ponds, asserts what I’ve quoted twice about the content of the pond.

What are the EPA standards for heavy metal in water released into the bay?

They seem to only say
“The water meets water quality standards for marine waters with the exception of pH, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and total ammonia nitrogen,” the state says. “It is slightly acidic, but not at a level that is expected to be a concern, nor is it expected to be toxic.”
They don’t say it isn’t poisonous. They don’t say much of anything in the absence of marine water quality standards they refer to.

 

[KSG_Standard]

What are the EPA standards for heavy metal in water released into the bay?

They seem to only say
“The water meets water quality standards for marine waters with the exception of pH, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and total ammonia nitrogen,” the state says. “It is slightly acidic, but not at a level that is expected to be a concern, nor is it expected to be toxic.”
They don’t say it isn’t poisonous. They don’t say much of anything in the absence of marine water quality standards they refer to.

I don’t know what the standards are, I can find out. From the article you posted, and repeated even in the stories with the most sensational headlines:
So what is being discharged into Tampa Bay from Piney Point?
It’s a mix of seawater from an old dredging project that Piney Point’s operator — with the support of public officials — agreed to take on about a decade ago, putting more water on the site; rainwater; and remnant process water from the fertilizer operation.

“The water meets water quality standards for marine waters with the exception of pH, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and total ammonia nitrogen,” the state says. “It is slightly acidic, but not at a level that is expected to be a concern, nor is it expected to be toxic.”

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein has said the water is not radioactive.

Also from your link:


Where does water come in?
Ponds of wastewater are sometimes stored atop phosphogypsum stacks.

Is this pond on top of a phosphogypsum pile, or is it near or adjacent to such a pile?

 

[six-string]

It's perfectly fine in here. Nothing to be concerned about.

 

[ehb]

One thing's for sure... Somebody will have a roadside stand selling jars of water as souvenirs....with pictures or crazy looking creatures painted on the building....

 

[SteveC]

What are the EPA standards for heavy metal in water released into the bay?

Do we still have a functioning EPA?

 

[redcoats1976]

It's perfectly fine in here. Nothing to be concerned about.
View attachment 529878

who snapped my pic at clearwater beach?

 

[Olds442]

oh the huge manatee!

 

[dspelman]

One of the issues is that the fertilizer in the water will likely trigger an algae bloom. Aside from the fact that some algae blooms are in and of themselves toxic (and can cause some serious issues for people pretty far inland), they also remove oxygen from the water and kill most marine critters (fish, ersters, tec.), leaving a dead zone inhabitable only by things like jelly fish.

Exposure to high levels of blue-green algae and their toxins can cause diarrhea, nausea or vomiting; skin, eye or throat irritation; and allergic reactions or breathing difficulties. Winds can pick up the toxins and carry them inland.

 

[Uncle Vinnie]

It’s just used enema water, it’ll be alright

BTW, I was at the Guitar Center in Ft. Myers last week ... cleaned out!

 

[JTM45]

They said the water in Flint Michigan was safe too

they’re never honest with us

 

[mdubya]

Japan Says Sorry, But It Has to Dump This Radioactive Water Into the Ocean

"What to do with the [treated] water is a task that the government can no longer put off without setting a policy."

futurism.com

 

[Uncle Vinnie]

They said the water in Flint Michigan was safe too
they’re never honest with us

Horseshit! The water is perfectly fine!
Nothing that a little boiling and filtering won't take care of.

 

[redcoats1976]

oh the huge manatee!

fat shaming is not cool...went to clearwater beach today.nothing out of the ordinary yet,but not sure what will happen in a week or two.