Homes Evacuated After Wastewater Reservoir Threatens Collapse in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently declared a state of emergency for Manatee County and more than 300 homes were under evacuation orders after a major wastewater leak was discovered at a former phosphate processing plant in Palmetto — about 40 miles south of Tampa. According to the Bradenton Herald, workers discovered the leak at the plant’s largest reservoir, which at the time held about 480 million gallons of water. Officials say the containment wall had shifted, prompting concerns about an all-out collapse that could quickly inundate the nearby community with polluted floodwaters.Some of the worst-case predictions that prompted the evacuation included