A massive sinkhole in Mulberry, Florida has allowed millions of gallons of radioactive water to run into one of the world’s most productive aquifers.
Quiet for Three Weeks
Three weeks ago, on August 27th, officials confirmed that crews in a containment pond at the New Wales Mosaic plant in Mulberry found the sinkhole.
A field technician found the water level had dropped at one of the ponds. Upon investigation they found a 45 foot wide hole that seemed to go down to the aquifer 300 feet below.
Since then, about 215 million gallons of contaminated water has run into the sink hole to the aquifer below possibly contaminating the drinking water of nearby Mulberry residents.
There is a fertilization processing plant in the area which creates the toxic waste from their processing system.
The Mosaic Company
The Mosaic Company is the world’s leading producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash and participate in every aspect of crop nutrition development.
They are a large company, employing nearly 9,000 people in six different countries.
The Mosaic Company mines phosphate rock from the nearly 200,000 acres of land they own in Central Florida. The phosphate and potash are processed into crop nutrients and distributed to major agricultural centers around the world.
This a massive operation. The fact that their processing run off has now infected the aquifer underneath Florida lands that is used as drinking water is a serious concern.
Recovery Well
In Mosaic Company’s defense they have built a recovery well to pull the contaminated water out of the aquifer. They’ve performed continuous tests and so far, there have not been any contaminants detected in the groundwater. Officials say this means the pumps are working.
It’s interesting to note that Mosaic Company was founded in 2004 and jointly owned by Cargill Inc. and IMC Global Inc.
Since the initial discovery on August 27, Mosaic Company has been working along side the Florida chapter of the Department of Environmental Protection (EPA). They have been on site and monitoring the situation.
Featured image from video.
