
Florida’s Manatee County is in a state of emergency and residents being evacuated as a toxic wastewater reservoir is on the brink of collapse and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said crews are working to prevent “a real catastrophic flood situation.”
Families in at least 316 homes were ordered to evacuate Saturday after officials warned that Piney Point Reservoir, about 40 miles south of Tampa, could flood homes with 15 to 20 feet of water if it collapses.
The reservoir holds a mix of salt water, fresh water, wastewater and fertilizer runoff. DeSantis clarified on Sunday that the water is not radioactive, after there was concern because the ponds sit in stacks of phosphogypsum, a solid radioactive byproduct from manufacturing fertilizer