Piney Point

Newly appointed DEP secretary Shawn Hamilton says Piney Point can only handle another 11 inches of rain. But water is being piped out now, and a plan is in place if a hurricane threatens.

Piney Point's owner is among the targets of the lawsuit, which seeks a full cleanup and closure of the former phosphate plant.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection says varying levels of cyanotoxins have been identified, increasing chances that the discharge at Piney Point will trigger a blue-green algae bloom.

A computer model that's been used to track red tide and Tampa Bay's response to Hurricane Irma is now being adapted to follow the dispersal of contaminated runoff from the old phosphate plant.

The state expects to put more than $115 million toward closing the site of a former phosphate plant where a reservoir leak set off a wastewater crisis in Manatee County.

Workers will continue to identify whether there are any additional separations of the liner that resulted in millions of gallons of wastewater flowing from the reservoir.

Data on nitrates and phosphate will be important when determining the spill’s effect on Tampa Bay.

As of Wednesday, officials say more than 38 million gallons are removed each day, with 258 million gallons still remaining.

A pair of environmental organizations are weighing in on the Piney Point wastewater leak in Manatee County. They say the crisis at the old fertilizer plant was preventable.

Acting Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes says it appears workers at the site have been able to bring the situation under control.