More than 215 million gallons of contaminated and radioactive water entered the Floridan Aquifer when a sinkhole opened up at the Mosaic Company’s phosphate plant in New Wales, just 30 miles east of Tampa. The company says its been working to recover the contaminated water and is providing free water quality testing, but Mosaic and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have faced criticism for not disclosing the incident to the public for nearly three weeks. Now a class action lawsuit has been filed against the phosphate giant on behalf of nearby residents.
The spill comes as Mosaic is also looking to expand phosphate mining operations in DeSoto and Manatee Counties. While Manatee County Commissioners will have the final say on whether to approve that expansion, local environmental advocates oppose the proposal, citing phosphate mining’s environmental destructiveness. We’ll get the latest on the response to the sinkhole incident. We’ll find out about the state’s regulatory environment for phosphate mining operations and the storage of radioactive phosphogypsum waste. We’ll also take a closer look at Florida’s geology and the expansive Floridan Aquifer which provides potable water for nearly ten million people.
Guests:
- Jason Bellino, hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey
- Sarah Hollenhorst, member of the People for Protecting Peace River, Inc. board of directors.
- Robert Navin, member of People for Protecting Peace River, Inc.
John Yanchunis, Class Action Litigation Attorney for Morgan & Morgan
