Officials confident Piney Point is prepared for heavy rainfall from Hurricane Ian

Jesse Mendoza and Melissa Pérez-Carrillo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·2 min read
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Wastewater levels at the former Piney Point fertilizer plant in Manatee County are expected to rise as Hurricane Ian creeps over Southwest Florida, but officials remain confident that the fierce storm poses no threat to the maligned facility.

The former fertilizer processing plant, which has not been in operation since the early 2000s, made national headlines in April last year after a breach in one of the containment ponds caused the emergency release of about 215 million gallons of nutrient-laden water into Tampa Bay.

Many experts believe the incident severely exacerbated red tide conditions in Tampa Bay and the surrounding area late last year.

A 2013 aerial photo of the old Piney Point fertilizer plant property in Manatee County near Port Manatee.
A 2013 aerial photo of the old Piney Point fertilizer plant property in Manatee County near Port Manatee.

In case you missed it: Florida Department of Environmental Protection accepts plans for Piney Point closure

More: Releasing 4.5M gallons of rainwater from Piney Point into Tampa Bay concerns environmentalists

And: Piney Point closure could take until at least 2024. Manatee County progresses on injection well

Attorney Herb Donica, who was appointed in court to lead efforts to permanently close the facility, said on Wednesday that there is enough capacity to manage more than 50 million gallons of stormwater.

"We're in good shape," Donica said. "I think we have 50 million gallons of space to go, maybe more. We've worked over the last year to get water levels down. Today, we are gaining water, obviously, but we have a lot of room."

He said stormwater that falls on non-contaminated portions of the site is being released through typical methods, but any rainwater that falls on the several contaminated wastewater ponds must be retained.

"Someone asked me at what point do I get really concerned about water," Donica said. "Well, the same question was asked of Noah when he built the boat. If it's too much to handle, we have to do something else. We're comfortable that we are ready for the worst-case scenario, and I don't think it will come to that."

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Hurricane Ian: Manatee County is confident Piney Point is prepared