Piney Point Update – April 7, 2023
The court-appointed receiver and its contractor, Forgen LLC, continue closure work at the OGS-South compartment. Contractors are continuing grading work and are now installing liner on top of the graded OGS-South compartment as they work to complete the closure of this area so that it will no longer accumulate rainwater.
DEP will continue performing its stringent regulatory oversight of the facility to ensure this is the last chapter in the long history of Piney Point. DEP is committed to working with the receiver to ensure that progress toward closure is done as expeditiously as possible.
Note: DEP will continue to maintain updates on closure progress on its public webpage. Email status updates for subscribers are now sent on a monthly basis. The next update will be sent Friday, May 5, 2023. Real-time updates will be transmitted if there is a timely update.
Key status updates and response activities (bolded and underlined language reflects changes):
- The site received 0.12 inches of rain last month. Piney Point has received approximately 1.70 inches of rain since Jan. 1, 2023. In response to rain events, clean, non-contact stormwater will be conveyed as needed through the site's permitted outfall along Buckeye Road. Samples are collected at the permitted outfall during runoff events to confirm the stormwater meets the requirements of its permit.
- The current storage capacity for additional rainfall at the site is approximately 31.8 inches. This capacity is expected to change with rainfall amounts, as well as adjusted water management activities at the site.
- As part of the site's water management efforts, piping of water to the North Regional Water Reclamation Facility resumed and to date, 53,269,671 gallons have been transferred. Spray evaporation also resumed in the NGS-North compartment.
- This week, the site reached another milestone towards closure. Manatee County began receiving non-hazardous industrial wastewater from the site on April 4, 2023, for disposal in its Underground Injection Control Well along Buckeye Road and to date, 1,936,700 gallons have been transferred. This project is one critical element of the necessary water disposal that will enable the ultimate closure of the Piney Point facility once and for all, permanently eliminating the threat from this site to the environment and the community.
- Approximately 258 million gallons are currently held within the NGS-South compartment. Pond level readings are expected to fluctuate due to a host of factors, including wind/associated waves in the pond, rainfall and water management activities.
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