Piney Point Phosphate Emergency Water Treatment Project
Posted
Glenn Compton
Manatee County has the most to lose if there is a catastrophic failure of the gyp stacks, and by all indications, we are moving toward a disaster that may or may not be avoidable. The Manatee County Commission has the greatest responsibility in trying to avoid such an environmental disaster from happening at the Piney Point site.
Previous county commissions approved the changes in land use that allowed for Piney Point to operate as a phosphogypsum stack and a fertilizer plant. The current Manatee County Commission bears significant responsibility in solving the problems that previous commissions approved of or did not object to.
Some of these problems include the numerous health and environmental violations that occurred during the operation of the gyp stack and fertilizer plant, the sale of the Piney Point site to a limited liability corporation, and the FDEP permits that approved dredged material from Port Manatee Berth 12 to be placed into the gyp stacks.
Unfortunately, the current commission has inherited what can rightfully be described as the worse land use decision made in Manatee County’s history, and it is obvious that the costs of the previous land-use decisions far out way any perceived benefits.
The next time a phosphate related land-use issue comes before the Manatee County Commission, please remember that what may appear as a benefit will likely turn out to be a tremendous cost to the residents of Manatee County.
Glenn Compton is the Chairman of ManaSota 88, a non-profit organization that has spent over 30 years fighting to protect the environment of Manatee and Sarasota counties.
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