Hurricane spilled 41million gallons of acidic waste in Tampa-area waterway

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

http://www.enn.com/news/2004-09-08/s_26940.asp

snip
TAMPA, Florida — Hurricane Frances carved a huge gap in the wall of a fertilizer company reservoir, spilling 41 million gallons of acidic waste that posed a threat to aquatic life in a bay near Tampa.

It could be days or weeks before a solid assessment of the environmental effect is available, said Rick Garrity, director of Hillsborough County's Environmental Protection Commission.

"If we find significant impact, we'll keep following up," Garrity said.

The breach in a berm surrounding the reservoir happened during the storm Sunday, starting as a 6-foot-wide gap created by storm-driven waves in the reservoir, then growing quickly to 30 feet across and finally to 50 feet, said officials of Cargill Crop Nutrition, a unit of Cargill Inc.
snip

[donsu]

1. horrible! "If we find significant impact," If? If?

of course it's having a negative impact

of course they will cover-up the impact

[JusticeForAll]

2. That DARN hurricane!!!

It's the hurricane at fault!!! It's definitely not the negligent chemical manufacturer failing to assess its containment risks properly. Darn acts of Him....

Jeez if we only knew when and where this storm was going to strike...jeez maybe we could have done something about it.

move on everyody...it's the hurricane again.

[lostnfound]

7. Jeez if only we'd prayed harder..

Must be revenge for immoral acts..

[truthisfreedom]

3. hmm. one of the Cargill sons is moving in right up the street from me.

how annoying.

[cthrumatrix]

4. are they penalized..? who allowed them to be where they are?

[seasat]

5. The impact will affect the Bay for a long time.

The waste was high in phosphate which is a major nutrient for algae and bacteria. It'll probably take months to flush that out of the bay. We'll probably have huge algal bloom in those areas.

[maxsolomon]

6. tra la la, F the environment

productivity & GDP are all that matters.

doesn't halliburton have a clean up arm?

[DS1]

8. Time to drop some bass in this mofo

haha punny

[burrowowl]

9. On yesterday's GD thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2322889&mesg_id=2322987

I posted this:

http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/condemo/wallboard/default.htm

Drywall is the principal wall material used in the United States for interior purposes. It is made of a sheet of gypsum covered on both sides with a paper facing and a paperboard backing. Drywall can be recycled into new products, thereby:

* Creating business opportunities.
* Saving money for builders, contractors, and home renovators.
* Helping local governments meet their goal of reducing disposal by 50 percent.

Drywall is also referred to as gypsum board, wallboard, plasterboard, gypboard, and rock. Gypsum is calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4·2H2O), a naturally occurring mineral that is mined in dried ancient sea beds. Some commonly heard names for drywall are actually brand names: Sheetrock® is a registered trademark of U.S. Gypsum Company; Gyproc® is a registered trademark of Domtar Gypsum.
Problems of Traditional Handling Methods

Landfill: Hydrogen sulfide gas may be produced when landfilling gypsum, particularly in a wet climate. Several conditions are required, including a moist, anaerobic environment and a low pH. Hydrogen sulfide gas is toxic at high concentrations (~1,000 parts per million) and has a foul, rotten-egg odor. Several communities in Canada do not accept drywall at landfills for this reason.

Incineration: Incineration may produce toxic sulfur dioxide gas. (Drywall is not incinerated in California.)

Not good if not properly disposed of either.

Another poster said Fla. gypsum used for fertilizer too radioactive (though low) to be used for drywall.