{"id":43143,"date":"2024-03-19T18:49:46","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T22:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=43143"},"modified":"2024-03-19T18:49:51","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T22:49:51","slug":"liner-tear-confirmed-at-mosaics-new-wales-gypstack-florida-regulators-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2024\/03\/19\/liner-tear-confirmed-at-mosaics-new-wales-gypstack-florida-regulators-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Liner tear confirmed at Mosaic\u2019s New Wales \u2018gypstack,\u2019 Florida regulators say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s the latest incident at the mining company\u2019s plant in Polk County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October, Tampa Fortune 500 mining company Mosaic warned Florida environmental regulators there may be another possible tear in the liner beneath a pile of the company\u2019s mildly radioactive phosphate waste at its plant in Mulberry.<\/p>\n\n\n

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There was a change in the water pressure at Mosaic\u2019s active south gypsum stack, the company told the state, which could mean an unknown amount of water from the manufacturing process may be released into the environment. The company said it would investigate the potential problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, state environmental regulators confirm that Mosaic\u2019s investigation of the incident in December revealed there was, indeed, a liner tear beneath the northwest portion of the stack. The mining company has since been running exploratory drills to repair the tear, according to Florida Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Brian Humphreys.<\/p>\n\n\n

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This image, taken at Mosaic’s New Wales facility and included in a state inspection report, shows workers using a device called a piezometer to measure underground pore pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mosaic is also working to address a void, or \u201can underground open space,\u201d that was detected beneath the pile of phosphogypsum, Humphreys said. The state didn\u2019t immediately provide more details about what caused the void to form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackie Barron, a spokesperson for Mosaic, wrote in an email that \u201cwe\u2019ve done and continue to do significant stakeholder outreach as to any and all developments in our operations at New Wales.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mosaic informed both federal and state environmental regulators of the confirmed liner tear in a Dec. 14 letter. The company\u2019s environmental director, Santino Provenzano, said a drilling crew confirmed the liner tear a day prior and was \u201cadvancing additional exploratory borings in this area to facilitate further evaluation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a separate letter dated the same day, an environmental engineering firm hired by Mosaic recommended the company keep water out of the stack area. The firm also urged the continued investigation of the spot of the liner tear \u201cto determine the extent and configuration of the cavity in gypsum at the base of the stack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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