Second crack in Florida sewer tank

A second crack was found in the sewage tank of a former phosphate plant in Florida, which burst and caused massive flooding and environmental disasters, officials said Monday.

Also read: Florida toxic sewage is at risk of flowing into the Tampa Bay

“Infrared drone detected a signature in Point Point Reservoir,” Jake Sauer, director of public safety for Manatee County on the west coast of the U.S. state, told reporters.

He said engineers were assessing the new situation.

And experts continue to pump out more than 130,000 cubic meters of water per day from the reservoir.

The compound, which is used to produce fertilizer, has declared a state of emergency to allocate new funds to deal with this potential crisis at the industrial site of Pine Point, a former factory of phosphate.

Contaminated water is being pumped into the Tampa Bay to prevent flooding in the area, but the solution threatens the fragile ecosystem on which not only marine life but also tourism depends.

Vern Buchanan, a Florida Republican elected official, said he was “deeply concerned” and called on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to intervene.

Residents of more than 300 nearby homes have been ordered to evacuate the area south of the big city of Tampa.

Prisoners from the county convoy were also transferred by bus to an unknown location, while others were transferred to the upper floor of the facility.

The plastic coating of this reservoir, especially containing more than a cubic meter of sewage, especially from overflow or rainwater, began to leak several days ago.

Governor Ron Desantis assured that the water was “not radioactive”, that it had been tested before being emptied and that it contained mainly “saline water”.