Florida's Phosphate Plant Leak Puts Tampa Bay's Manatees in Danger

Tampa Bay is in danger of becoming an environmental disaster, putting decades of attempts to enhance water quality and wildlife protection for manatees, dolphins, whales, and sea turtles in jeopardy. More than a hundred million gallons of toxic wastewater have been dumped directly into the bay due to a continuing spill at the old Piney Point phosphate plant site.

"Manatees in the Indian River Lagoon are starving to death because low water quality has destroyed the seagrass beds on which they depend. The last thing we want is for anything similar to happen in Tampa Bay. The state must keep Piney Point's owners accountable, as well as ensuring that all of Florida's two dozen phosphate mines are supervised, and taxpayers have not left to foot the bill for similar disasters," Bibza said.

Federal initiatives in coastal resilience projects, such as the plan to reconfigure the Howard Frankland bridge to increase water transport across the bay, which will strengthen water quality and deter further outbreaks of toxic algae, may help Tampa Bay's long-term recovery.

The Recovering America's Wildlife Act, introduced in Congress, will provide funding for habitat conservation projects for at-risk wildlife such as manatees. In the previous legislative session, twelve of Florida's legislators voted in favor of the measure, which would give the state over $40 million a year.

High Hopes

"The Piney Point breach is a major disappointment, but if there's one thing we've noticed through the years, it's that the bay and its biodiversity are remarkably resilient. They will regenerate if we owe them what they need to recover," Bibza said.

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