DEP Taking Steps to Prevent Piney Point Overflow from Isaac's Deluge

By Craig Pittman

Along with fretting over whether Isaac's winds and flooding will wreck homes and businesses and roads, here's another worry for Tampa Bay residents: toxic waste overflowing from a long-abandoned fertilizer plant.

Near the southern end of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge sits Piney Point, which in 2003 was dubbed by a state official "one of the biggest environmental threats in Florida history."

Although state Department of Environmental Protection officials avoided potentially serious consequences then, they had to deal with a spill of 170 million gallons last year and now face another dire situation.

Thanks to the heavy rains of Tropical Storm Debby, Piney Point's storage capacity is full. Rain from Isaac could push the toxic contents over the top.

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