Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vows to close wastewater plant for good after near "catastrophic" breach: "We want this to be the last chapter of the Piney Point story"

Piney Point, the former phosphate mining facility that leaked millions of gallons of wastewater near Tampa Bay, will soon take steps toward "permanent closure," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Tuesday. 

A leak broke through one of the facility's wastewater ponds last month, spewing millions of gallons of wastewater into the environment. Though officials got the leak under control last week and were able to redirect it to stay onsite instead of flowing into a nearby creek, part of that process entailed pumping untreated wastewater from the reservoir into Port Manatee, which leads into Tampa Bay.  DeSantis spoke from Port Manatee on Tuesday, saying "we've made good strides" since he visited the facility on Easter Sunday, and that officials have "mitigated the imminent threat to public safety."