The governor of the US state of Florida has declared a state of emergency because a large reservoir of waste water and toxic substances is in danger of emptying. The authorities fear that the dike that holds more than 2 billion liters of water in place will soon be breached.
Surrounding agricultural land and crops are then in danger of being lost and the water could also reach residential areas. Residents of more than 300 homes around the Piney Point Reservoir at Tampa Bay must therefore leave their homes. A highway is also closed in the area.
On Friday, a hole was found in a wall of the reservoir, which contains waste water including phosphorus and nitrogen from an old phosphate factory. It has been tried to close the hole with stones and other material, but that has failed.
Emergency services are now pumping out thousands of liters of water per minute to limit the damage. It takes ten to twelve days to empty the entire reservoir, but it is unclear whether there is enough time to do so. By declaring an emergency, more pumping equipment and cranes can be sent to the area.
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