A leak in a wastewater pond in Florida, USA, may produce radioactive material pollution. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Manati County, where the incident occurred, on April 3.
According to the Associated Press on the 3rd, Florida’s environmental department said on the 2nd that a gap was detected on the wall of a large wastewater pond near the reservoir in Manati County, Florida, which contains millions of gallons of phosphorus and nitrogen-containing wastewater. Local officials tried unsuccessfully to plug the gap with materials such as rocks.
According to the BBC, there are piles of phosphogypsum around the leaked wastewater pool, which is radioactive waste generated during the production of fertilizer, and the leaked wastewater also contains a small amount of naturally generated radioactive elements radium and uranium.
Local officials are worried that the phosphogypsum piles around the wastewater pool will collapse, which may cause radioactive material pollution. Fears of wastewater could flood areas predominantly agricultural, Manate County, Florida, said at a news conference. Scott Hope, who was in a news conference.
Florida Governor Desantis declared a state of emergency in Manati County on the 3rd and will go to the county on the 4th to meet with local officials. Florida officials on the 3rd have ordered the evacuation of more than 300 families around the site of the incident and closed a highway to a large reservoir in the Tampa Bay area. Residents near the reservoir have received text alerts and are asked to evacuate immediately.
