This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-37390562
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Florida sinkhole causes huge waste water leak into aquifer | |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| About 980 million litres of contaminated water have leaked into Florida's main underground source of drinking water, state officials say. | |
| The leak occurred after a huge sinkhole opened up under a phosphate fertiliser plant near Tampa, damaging the stack where waste water was stored. | The leak occurred after a huge sinkhole opened up under a phosphate fertiliser plant near Tampa, damaging the stack where waste water was stored. |
| The water contained phosphogypsum, a slightly radioactive by-product from the production of fertiliser. | The water contained phosphogypsum, a slightly radioactive by-product from the production of fertiliser. |
| The phosphate company Mosaic said the leak posed no risk to the public. | The phosphate company Mosaic said the leak posed no risk to the public. |
| It added the contaminated water had not reached private supplies and the firm was recovering it using pumps. | It added the contaminated water had not reached private supplies and the firm was recovering it using pumps. |
| "Groundwater moves very slowly," senior Mosaic official David Jellerson was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. | "Groundwater moves very slowly," senior Mosaic official David Jellerson was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. |
| However, Jacki Lopez, Florida director of the Center for Biological Diversity, told Reuters news agency: "It's hard to trust them when they say 'Don't worry,' when they've been keeping it secret for three weeks." | However, Jacki Lopez, Florida director of the Center for Biological Diversity, told Reuters news agency: "It's hard to trust them when they say 'Don't worry,' when they've been keeping it secret for three weeks." |
| Frequent monitoring | |
| A spokeswoman for Florida's Department of Environmental Protection said the company was updating state and federal agencies on the situation. | |
| Dee Ann Miller said her agency was doing frequent site visits to safeguard public health. | |
| "While monitoring to date indicates that the process water is being successfully contained, groundwater monitoring will continue to ensure there are no offsite or long-term effects," she said in an email to Associated Press. | |
| The sinkhole - about 45ft (14m) in diameter - at Mosaic's New Wales facility in the town of Mulberry was discovered by a company worker on 27 August. | The sinkhole - about 45ft (14m) in diameter - at Mosaic's New Wales facility in the town of Mulberry was discovered by a company worker on 27 August. |
| The sinkhole later caused the waste pond to drain, and the contaminated water has now seeped into the aquifer. | The sinkhole later caused the waste pond to drain, and the contaminated water has now seeped into the aquifer. |
| Aquifers are massive underground systems of porous rocks that hold water. | Aquifers are massive underground systems of porous rocks that hold water. |