Downpours From Ian Prompt Florida Treatment Plants to Release Waste

At least a dozen wastewater treatment facilities in Florida have discharged raw or partially treated waste due to excess water from Hurricane Ian.

As the storm heads towards South Carolina, attention is turning to sites that may be at risk.

According to the Southern Environmental Law Center, there are a number of industrial facilities in low-lying areas near waterways in Charleston. There are plastic pellet operations, a paper mill, concrete and asphalt plants, and scrap metal facilities.

According to a senior attorney at the law center, it is difficult to know how prepared such facilities are because they don't have to submit storm water data or plans to the state. We don't know if they are meeting their requirements. We are concerned that the facilities won't be ready when a big storm hits.

Climate change is making Ian more powerful and unpredictable.

Hundreds of farms are located further inland in the state.

A senior attorney at the law center voiced concerns that high rainfall could cause poultry waste to run into the water.

Industrial sites in the Carolinas overflowed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. A lot of lagoons flooded, releasing pig waste which can contribute to the environment.

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It could be days, weeks, or even years before a complete assessment of the harm is done after several wastewater treatment sites in Florida reported discharging waste. You don't know what the damage is until you pull soil samples.

There were more than 600 spills of hazardous materials after Hurricane Katrina. The N.R.D.C found elevated arsenic levels at the playground after the storm.

There are many small infrastructure that are not monitored by the state that may be difficult to see the extent of the damage.

After heavy rain and flooding, farms, golf courses and municipal parks use large amounts of fertilization.

According to an environmental economist at Cornell University, the state doesn't monitor water quality at those locations. A small leak from a lot of them can add up to a lot of damage to the environment.

The largest water quality problem in the US is caused by the presence of Phosphates and Nitrogen.

Over the past few decades, the marine environment in Florida has been degraded by this type of pollution. A record number of manatees died in Florida last year as a result of pollution and blooms.

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Environmental groups had voiced concerns about the open-air wastewater ponds associated with Florida'sphosphate mining operations before the storm hit. Most of the country'sphosphate is produced in Florida in the Bone Valley.

In some cases, billions of gallons of wastewater containing radium and other carcinogens can be found in the pools at the sites.

Piney Point, aphosphate plant that is in the process of being shut down, and a pond at Mosaic-New Wales were the subject of concerns. Representatives for both operations said on Thursday that they had not found any breeches.