Fertilizer Spill

So what do you guys in the Tampa Bay area think of this? They say in the article that the company may be forced to change it's retention pond design. And what about the other 40+ more of these gypsum stacks that dot the horizon in Hillsborough and Polk County? This storm was just a TS as it entered Tampa Bay, imagine what a direct hit from a Cat 2 or higher would do do these gypsum stacks



TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Environmental officials were trying to determine Tuesday the potential ecological fallout after 41 million gallons of acidic wastewater was spilled by a fertilizer company into a Hillsborough Bay tributary (Archie Creek) as Hurricane Frances swept through the area.
It wasn't until midday Monday that Cargill Crop Nutrition, a unit of Cargill Inc., announced that water had stopped flowing through a reservoir breach that occurred during the storm Sunday in Riverview.

Even then, with workers beginning to pump the overflow elsewhere on its property, Archie Creek continued to receive a discharge that local authorities said could amount to milliols of additional gallons.

"It's a serious spill," company Vice President Gray Gordon said. "We're very upset about this, very concerned."

The environmental threat is to fish and other wildlife in and around Archie Creek and Hillsborough Bay, not to people, pets or livestock in the area. In Cargill's view, though, the spill was about as bad as it gets - an unexpected event that the company wasn't unable to contain.

An overflow ditch couldn't handle the spill, and for a while the comPany ran out of a caustic solution used to buffer acidity in the escaping wastewater. Then, crews couldn't begin to make repairs because the lingering storm made work along the berm too risky.

What began as a 6-foot-wide gash, created by storm-driven waves in the reservoir at midday Sunday, grew quickly to 30 feet across, and finally to 50 feet, Cargill said.

Phosphate wastewater is high in nitrogen and phosphorous, which enables algae to thrive. That can reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, killing marine life.

Rick Garrity, director of Hillsborough County's Environmental Protection Commission, said it could be days or weeks before a solid assessment is available.

"Hopefully, they buffered a significant amount of the discharge, but I understand a lot went into Archie Creek unbuffered," he said. "If we find significant impact, we'll keep following up."

Garrity said his agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection had issued recent warning notices to Cargill about the levels of wastewater being stored on the property in light of heavy summer rains.

Gordon said there could be fines. Regulators could also make the company pay for environmental damage and change its water retention design.




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[yellowdog]

I'm not in the Tampa Bay area, but I would say get ready for a severe algea bloom leading to a probable fish kill. At least in Archie creek. Hopefully the heavy rains will lessen the impact.

[kmoose]

You know that they (Cargill) only admitted to a small fraction of what really happend! The truth would probably scare you.

[Marcus]

It's spills like this that wiped out the scallop population from tampa bay years ago, along with everything else. The scallop population is slowly coming back but still has a long way to go.

[Spearchucker]

Its Bush's fault....

[WreckDiver]

Originally posted by Marcus
It's spills like this that wiped out the scallop population from tampa bay years ago, along with everything else. The scallop population is slowly coming back but still has a long way to go.

Tree Hugger

[Marcus]

Spearchucker,

Close, not Bush.. just the right wing's policy of sucking big business's d***.


Bugged,

Watch it! I'll have my greenpeace brethren ramming your boat next time you go out.

[WreckDiver]

Originally posted by Marcus
Spearchucker,

Close, not Bush.. just the right wing's policy of sucking big business's d***.


Bugged,

Watch it! I'll have my greenpeace brethren ramming your boat next time you go out.

Them twin screw diesel tugs couldn't catch me.

And werent those big stacks, allowed to be created & then abandoned on the democrap watch?????

[junior]

Originally posted by Bugged
And werent those big stacks, allowed to be created & then abandoned on the democrap watch?????

Yeah, but most likely under rules promulgated by a republican admininstration

[WreckDiver]

Man I thought somthing happend to you guys took over three hours for a responce

[junior]

Sorry man, this whole campaign season is already wearing me out. I was just telling my wife that if Kerry were to win this election, Spearboard could become unbearable with all the whining and crying that would go on around here I honestly don't know who I'd vote for if the election was held today. Guess that makes me a flip-flopper huh

[WreckDiver]

Originally posted by junior
Sorry man, Guess me a flip-flopper huh

You mean you actully made a decision to change.

Its ok everybody knows how moderates are they just follow the crowd


Seriously I have had to cut back to only three hours of talk radio cant take it myself it gets old. Rock & Roll the whole shop the rest of the day

[junior]

Originally posted by Bugged
Its ok everybody knows how moderates are they just follow the crowd

You almost hit the nail on the head bugged....the moderates ARE the crowd; they aren't following anybody. The minority screwballs are all out to the left and the right doing all the following

[WreckDiver]

Nice spin, should have incorperated anti-spin in that one. Oh well

[Rush Limbaugh]

Bugged, my prized apprentice! I see that you have been listening carefully to the Excellence in Broadcasting network, and can effectively deal with such unsavory closet liberals like Junior, and Marcus. For that I will grant you the honor of receiving a one ounce vial of my underwear sweat that will be Fedex'ed to you tomorrow.