MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Dec. 16, 2021) — County officials are excited to see work begin on a new deep-well injection system after approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The well would inject Piney Point's process water about 3,000 feet underground.
That process water will be pre-treated prior to injection into the well. Also, solid materials will be removed to protect the injection well from damage. The permit will allow the county to dispose of millions of gallons a day of process water from the Piney Point facility.
“We will proceed expeditiously to see this fully operational as soon as possible,” said County Administrator Dr. Scott Hopes.
Crews are already working to prepare for the drilling of the deep well – expected to be completed by late 2022. It is being built on property owned by the county.
Currently, there are six other deep-well injection sites in Manatee County. One operated privately, one run by the city of Bradenton, and four under the authority of Manatee County Utilities.
“This is a proven technology,” said Director of Utilities Mike Gore. “It’s been a tried and true method to safely dispose of effluent for over three decades.”
Emergency funding from the state of Florida is helping pay for the fast-tracked plans, with millions of dollars earmarked for the clean-up and closure. Once the Piney Point phosphogypsum stacks are de-watered, the site is expected to be re-lined, capped, and finally topped with soil and sod.