Water NOT radioactive: Piney Point Reservoir could be drained within 2 days

Emergency crews have been working around the clock to prevent a full-scale disaster at Piney Point, the site of an old phosphate plant that has been leaking contaminated water for days. The immediate danger is a wall of water washing into homes. Hundreds of people are under evacuation orders as millions of gallons remain in the unstable pond. As the water is slowly pumped out, the risk of a full breach and flooding decreases. But the threat to the environment is growing. A new team of engineers was on site Monday using a thermal imagine drone to get a better view of what’s happening beneath the murky water and muddy berms. "We were able to get a better idea at how the retention walls are progressing through this," explained Manatee County Administrator Dr. Scott Hopes. The drone initially spotted a section of the retention walls that seemed too watery, raising fears of a second breach. But late Monday, the Department of Environmental Protection said those fears turned out to be "unsubstantiated." They also confirmed that the water is not radioactive.