MULBERRY, Fla. — Environmental groups are concerned after Mosaic Company announced it was investigating another possible tear in its gypsum stack liner at the New Wales Plant in Mulberry.
“No, I will not drink the water,” neighbor Peter Bedrosian, who relies on well water for his drinking supply, said.
Bedrosian refuses to use water straight from his tap. In fact, he won’t even give it to his pets out of concern about the quality of his well water after yet another event at the nearby phosphate facility.
“I’m a little upset, you know,” he said.
In a report to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Mosaic said on Oct. 20, its sensitive underground geo-meters indicated a change in pressure in section two of its massive gypsum stack.
“We issued a notice to the state to let them know that we had some concerns,” Mosaic Spokesperson Jackie Barron said. “And we felt that we needed to investigate further.”
If there is a tear in the stack’s protective lining, the concern is that radioactive material could seep down to the aquifer.
“I wouldn't want anyone in my house to get poisoned,” Bedrosian said.
In 2016, a massive sinkhole opened under this same stack, allowing millions of gallons of contaminated water to escape.
Last year, another incident also triggered the geometers, but this time, Mosaic said the area of concern is not currently active.
“We had stopped active stacking operations at this section of the gyp-stack about a year ago,” Barron said. “So, there's no active stacking going on in this section, and there is no ponded water in the section. Which means there's no pond at the top of the stack.”
For the past few days, Mosaic has been monitoring and testing to pinpoint the cause.
If there is a leak, they say it's in an area where their underground pumping system should be able to keep any contamination on the property before it seeps its way into the surrounding neighborhoods.
“We are in constant communication with regulators and the community,” Barron said. “So, we understand that folks are worried. But we are on top of it and we are keeping folks updated.”
Mosaic needs to file an update with the state DEP on Friday, but the company says it will likely need more time to pinpoint the cause of this most recent incident.
The company says it's been sharing information about this latest event as quickly as possible with local, law-enforcement agencies and homeowners associations, and posting updates on its website.