Wastewater Leak into Tampa Bay Foreshadows the Bigger Issue of Long-Lasting Waste

At the beginning of April, residents and officials of the Tampa Bay area were suddenly confronted by a problem. A fertilizer plant at Piney Point began leaking, threatening to spew wastewater into the surrounding residential area. Around 300 homes are located downstream from the reservoir, posing a dangerous flood risk. This spurred evacuation orders, which were not lifted until the Department of Environmental Protection began pumping the wastewater out of the containment pond and into Tampa Bay. 

The water contains high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen. These two ingredients are necessary to all aquatic ecosystems to some extent, but the concentrations present in the wastewater will likely lead to algal blooms that can suffocate sea life. The algae prevents sea grasses from receiving the nutrients and energy they need to grow, which trickles up the food chain to potentially starve fish, manatees, and dolphins. 

Beyond that, some algae growth may include red tide, which is toxic and damaging to any surrounding life. Red tide has the potential to even produce respiratory distress in surrounding human populations. These blooms and their effects may be felt for years to come.

This has clear impacts, including the suffering and loss of marine life. However, it will likely also damage Florida’s economy, which relies on tourism to its beautiful Gulf beaches. These same beaches are soon to be marred with the effects of the wastewater’s entry into the ecosystem — contaminated water and shores littered with deceased marine life. 

It has been over a month since the initial diversion of wastewater into the Bay, and researchers are carefully monitoring the situation. The full scale of the pollution’s impacts may not be observable for some time. 

Although leaks from the plant have been stopped, the question of what to do with the remaining 200 million gallons of wastewater remains. A plan to inject the water 3,500 feet underground has been approved, although it is highly controversial as some are worried it will impact the area’s underground water supply. 

What’s at the Root of this Problem?

Phosphate, a necessary ingredient for life, was a limiting agent for much of agriculture’s history. It was only accessible through sources that were biological in nature, or that came from other life — think manure. The advent of phosphate mining from rock was therefore revolutionary for agriculture. But the system is far from perfect. 

over 700 square miles of Florida are lost to this industry.

First, the fertilizer industry is hugely disruptive to the surrounding ecosystem in its acquisition of the material. Rachel Curran, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, says that “over 700 square miles of Florida are lost to this industry.” The process creates huge craters and ponds where the rock is mined. But perhaps more alarming is the amount of waste that’s created.

Every ton of usable phosphate (in the form of phosphoric acid) that is extrapolated from the rock is accompanied by five tons of phosphogypsum. This material is both radioactive and — so far — completely unusable for anything else. As of now, fertilizer producers have resorted to leaving the phosphogypsum in huge stacks and taking some preventative measures to ensure that the radioactive material doesn’t leak into the surrounding area. 

However, as is clear from the most recent incident at the Piney Point gypsum stacks, this is not a sustainable solution. It does not always work, and has the potential to inflict further environmental devastation beyond the looming havoc that the red tide would bring to Tampa Bay. 

In fact, this is not even close to the first time gypsum stacks have failed. Mississippi and Louisiana have their own stacks with an equally troubling trajectory.

The fertilizer industry continues to rely on the mining of phosphate, falling back on the logic that there is no way to meet the farming industry’s needs without it. But what is becoming clear is that nothing that we manufacture will ever go away completely. Much like landfills of abandoned, irredeemable goods, this manufactured phosphate dominates the space around it and leaves a scar on our Earth. Its producers hoped they could wipe their hands of it, but the stacks are now rearing their ugly head as the radioactive waste refuses to be contained. 

The fertilizer industry, and the waste that accompanies it, is a part of a larger, deeply flawed system. The industry would like to claim there is no way to feed the world without mining phosphate, and yet food waste in the United States is estimated to be “between 30 and 40 percent of the food supply.”  This points to an underlying inefficiency in our agricultural system that creates unnecessary need.

The answer to this issue is not clear-cut. Adjustments towards sustainability will have to be broad, accounting for complex agricultural systems. I hope to go into further detail in future articles on ethical food production and consumption. Follow along to learn more and uncover solutions to intricately connected problems.