Massive Sinkhole In Florida Leaks 980M Liters Of Radioactive Water Into Aquifer

A massive sinkhole under a phosphate fertilizer plant near Tampa, Florida, leaked about 980 million liters of contaminated water into the state’s main underground source of drinking water, authorities said Friday. The sinkhole, which is about 45 feet in diameter, collapsed beneath a pile of waste material.

According to reports, the water contained phosphogypsum, a slightly radioactive by-product from the production of fertilizer. Mosaic, the world’s largest supplier of phosphate, said that the sinkhole at its New Wales facility in the town of Mulberry was discovered by a worker on Aug. 27. It added that the leak posed no risk to the public. READ MORE