Officials work to repair source of major leak in Florida wastewater reserve

The Florida wastewater reservoir that has been leaking since late March is now undergoing repairs, officials said Thursday. The source of the leak, which has resulted in millions of gallons being dumped into a local port, was identified Wednesday, and crew members "continue to work around the clock" to repair it, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said.

A small leak was first noticed at Piney Point, the former phosphate mining facility, near the end of March, but it quickly worsened. On Easter weekend, more than 300 households were forced to evacuate as officials feared the reservoir would collapse. Residents were allowed to return home Tuesday as the risk of a "catastrophic" collapse lessened, although many are concerned about what could still lie ahead. When officials started providing public updates on the matter March 26, there were roughly 460 million gallons of water in the leaking reservoir. As of Thursday, the department said roughly 232 million gallons remain.