[john352]

Originally Posted by Petersweeney

I don’t understand why those phosphate pools/lakes didn’t evaporate over the years leaving behind the bad stuff in solid form?

The annual rainfall for Tampa Florida is 50.6 inches. There are many lakes, like Lake Sumter, that do not have a stream flowing out of them. They have been pumping excess water out of Lake Sumter for several years.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Villageswimmer

This situation is a classic case of government knowing of a potential hazardous situation and doing nothing about it until it’s an impending catastrophe to life and property. This didn’t develop overnight. Be prepared for mucho finger pointing.

And whose fanny was seated in the Governor's seat when this all began? Who knows????? We have to have industry. It is as important to all of us as MONEY which in itself is NOT a bad word. I am a little tired of those saying AHA to everything. Industry has halved poverty and starvation since 1990. It also sends plumes of bad stuff into the atmosphere. We gotta eat. We gotta have people manufacturing stuff.

And the radioactive stuff. It appears to be quite minimal...see here; "The pond at the old Piney Point phosphate mine sits in a stack of phosphogypsum, a waste product from manufacturing fertilizer that is radioactive. It contains small amounts of naturally occurring radium and uranium."

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by La lamy

So sad and horrifying. I hope all that have had to evacuate are okay.

316 families within a half mile. Always, always good to save money, somehow, some way, you never know when some disaster will strike and you might need shelter. The government is NOT your mother.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

316 families within a half mile. Always, always good to save money, somehow, some way, you never know when some disaster will strike and you might need shelter. The government is NOT your mother.

Very true never understood why so many people want the govt to do more and more for you.

[Kerlampert]

A true conundrum.
The stuff probably has a market value, but not enough for anyone to recover it....shame. Sounds similar to the Everglades story all over again.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Petersweeney

I don’t understand why those phosphate pools/lakes didn’t evaporate over the years leaving behind the bad stuff in solid form?

Because it is radioactive. It has to be kept cooled, and that involves water.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by daddymac1127

Government at its finest. Do nothing until it is too late. Hasn't the latest Pandemic taught us anything?

You have it backward.

Hasn't the radioactive gypsum stacks problem taught you all anything? If it had, you would not have been surprised about the "do nothing until it's too late" of government inaction during the pandemic.

This aspect of the pandemic is not news. Government inaction, relaxed safety standards, removed and rejected environmental protections, relaxed, reduced, and eliminated health standards, are all things you should have been aware of for as long as you've been cognizant of government.

I didn't pay much attention to this until I was in my 40's. I had only myself to blame up until that point for my ignorance. I've tried to keep track of politics and government actions and who is passing what laws about which environmental/health/safety topics since then. I might not be able to do much about it even now that I'm almost 60, but at least I've chosen to learn what I can, and promote the idea of "paying attention even if it isn't affecting you personally" to others.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Bay Kid

So sad for all that live on Tampa Bay and the creatures that will die.

It is bad for humans, not just creatures. The fertilizer in the water causes red tide blooms that not only cause fish to die, but causes spores of red tide algae to blow inland for many miles and cause respiratory problems in humans. And especially since the Sarasota area has many senior citizens that already have COPD. Also, the dead fish wash up on the beaches and drive tourists and tourists dollars away.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Mortal1

it hasn't happened as of yet and they will find a solution before it does. The sky isn't falling...yet.

They have tried to find a solution for 10 years to no avail. The sky has just fallen - and the oceans are in trouble.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

No action was taken because politics.

This is a problem that's existed since 1995. There's a newspaper article dated 2003 about the state government (at the time) making the right sounds about doing something, but then delaying the consequences to give Mulberry Group a chance to back out and walk away from the problem. Which is exactly what happened.

When the utilities threatened to shut the power off (thus making it impossible to adequately cool and safely control the stacks and flow of refuse drainage), the owner (Mulberry) declared bankruptcy and just let it happen. And so did the state government. And the voters continued voting for people who would continue to allow this to fester and become worse.

Now you're seeing the consequences of inaction. You're seeing the consequences of living in a bubble and rejecting the reality that surrounds it.

US Americans routinely brag about "taking action" and being "problem solvers". Those may be just MYTHS! The "SUPPOSED" 1st principle of government is to protect its citizens. Yet it was ssssooooo easy for the phosphate mining company to declare bankruptcy and just walk away - leaving local citizens holding the "TOXINS"!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by La lamy

So sad and horrifying. I hope all that have had to evacuate are okay.

They have been given no evacuation center to stay at - just kicked out on the street.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by daddymac1127

Government at its finest. Do nothing until it is too late. Hasn't the latest Pandemic taught us anything?

All governments are not necessarily bad. Australia, New Zealand, and Japan did a good job with the Pandemic. They probably could handle the removal of toxic waste better.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

And whose fanny was seated in the Governor's seat when this all began? Who knows????? We have to have industry. It is as important to all of us as MONEY which in itself is NOT a bad word. I am a little tired of those saying AHA to everything. Industry has halved poverty and starvation since 1990. It also sends plumes of bad stuff into the atmosphere. We gotta eat. We gotta have people manufacturing stuff.

And the radioactive stuff. It appears to be quite minimal...see here; "The pond at the old Piney Point phosphate mine sits in a stack of phosphogypsum, a waste product from manufacturing fertilizer that is radioactive. It contains small amounts of naturally occurring radium and uranium."

"Industry has halved poverty and starvation since 1990" That is probably WORLDWIDE starvation. In the US before WW2 most families lived on farms and usually had plenty to eat. They could even shoot plentiful game, or have fished. India and China and other 3rd world countries had populations too large for their natural resources. American agriculture methods of machines and fertilizers used in foreign countries may have alleviated much WORLDWIDE hunger around 1990. The US had many advantages.

[blueash]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Because it is radioactive. It has to be kept cooled, and that involves water.

That is not correct. The water is not radioactive other than the normal background radiation of the earth. The stack which means the wall which encloses the water is mildly radioactive and does not require any kind of cooling. Nor is the level of radioactivity dangerous in this application. This is not a nuclear power plant. The water has not evaporated because the pond is filled by rainwater at a rate that keeps it full.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

You have it backward.

Hasn't the radioactive gypsum stacks problem taught you all anything? If it had, you would not have been surprised about the "do nothing until it's too late" of government inaction during the pandemic.

This aspect of the pandemic is not news. Government inaction, relaxed safety standards, removed and rejected environmental protections, relaxed, reduced, and eliminated health standards, are all things you should have been aware of for as long as you've been cognizant of government.

I didn't pay much attention to this until I was in my 40's. I had only myself to blame up until that point for my ignorance. I've tried to keep track of politics and government actions and who is passing what laws about which environmental/health/safety topics since then. I might not be able to do much about it even now that I'm almost 60, but at least I've chosen to learn what I can, and promote the idea of "paying attention even if it isn't affecting you personally" to others.

Yes!