Marco?
RIGHT NOW ON NEWSCHANNEL8 AT
6:00.
A SINK HOLE CAUSES WATER
CONTAMINATION WORRIES IN POLK
COUNTY.
8 ON YOUR SIDE WANTS TO KNOW
WHY THE PUBLIC WAS THE LAST TO
KNOW ABOUT IT.
NEW DETAILS AT A DEATH AT A
LAKELAND WAL-MART.
WE ARE HEARING FROM THE
EMPLOYEES CHARGED IN THE CASE.
GOOD EVENING, I'M KEITH
CATE.
I'M STACIE SCHAIBLE.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
8 ON YOUR SIDE REVEALED A GIANT
SINK HOLE THAT SUCKED HUNDREDS
OF MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF
RADIOACTIVE WATER IN OUR
AQUIFER AND NOW WE KNOW THE
GOVERNMENT KEPT A LID ON IT.
THE SINK HOLE IN MULBERRY
SWALLOWED THE CONTAMINATED
WATER BACK IN LATE AUGUST.
ALL OF THIS KEPT UNDER WRAPS BY
THE STATE.
THAT IS, UNTIL SENIOR
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER STEVE
ANDREWS EXPOSED IT LAST NIGHT.
HE JOINS US NOW LIVE ABOVE THAT
SINK HOLE FROM EAGLE 8 HD.
HI STEVE.
Reporter: HEY STACIE, A
COUPLE OF POINTS I WANT TO MAKE
OFF THE TOP IS MOSAIC SAID
THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THE
SINK HOLE IS GROWING OR
ENDANGERS OTHER WATER COME
APARTMENTS OF THE GYPSUM STACK.
BUT, LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
LET'S ZOOM IN JUST A LITTLE BIT
HERE.
THIS CREVICE JUST TO THE BOTTOM
RIGHT OF YOUR SCREEN, WASN'T
HERE YESTERDAY.
SO, IT LOOKS LIKE PART OF THE
WALL IS EITHER COLLAPSING OR
POSSIBLY THIS THING IS
EXPANDING A LITTLE BIT.
SECOND POINT, RECOVERING THAT
215 MILLION GALLONS OF
CONTAMINATED WATER FROM THE
AQUIFER IS A PROCESS THAT WILL
TAKE YEARS.
THE SINK HOLE BENEATH THE
GYPSUM STACK OPENED AUGUST 27.
IT SUCKED MILLIONS OF
RADIOACTIVE GALLONS OF WATER
INTO THE AQUIFER.
HOW DEEP DOES THIS GO?
NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE.
THE IMMEDIATE CONCERN?
THREAT TO THE PUBLIC.
THERE IS NO THREAT TO THE
PUBLIC.
Reporter: THE WATER WAS IN A
CONTAINMENT POOL USED TO HELP
PRODUCE FERTILIZER.
THE MISSION, CONTAIN
CONTAMINATED WATER.
STOP IT FROM SPREADING TO THE
WELLS OF NEIGHBORS.
RIGHT NOW, I'M NOT TOO
CONCERNED BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN
HERE LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW MOSAIC
DOES TAKE CARE OF THEIR
PROBLEMS.
Reporter: THIS WELL IS
DESIGNED TO CAPTURE THE
CONTAMINATED PLUME.
THE RECOVERY WELL HAS
STARTED TO DETECT SOME TRACES.
Reporter: WHAT'S THE PLAN TO
FIX THE HOLE?
DO WHAT THEY DID IN 1994 AND
AGAIN IN 2004 WHEN SINK HOLES
OPENED ON THE PROPERTY.
INJECT A STABILIZING CEMENT.
FILL THE HOLE.
THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IS THE
LEAD GOVERNMENT AGENCY
MONITORING THIS INCIDENT.
DEP POINTS OUT MOSAIC NOTIFIED
ALL THE REQUIRED GOVERNMENT
AGENCIES BUT NONE OF THE
AGENCIES, THE EPA, POLK COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OR THE DEP
BOTHERED TO NOTIFY THE PUBLIC.
WE HAVE SOME POSTS ON OUR
FACEBOOK PAGE FROM RESIDENTS
WHO LIVE NEARBY.
AND THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT
THE QUALITY OF THEIR WATER.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL THEM?
WELL, I CAN ASSURE EVERYONE
THAT THE WATER QUALITY, YOU
KNOW, EVEN ON OUR PROPERTY, IS
STILL VERY CLEAN.
VERY GOOD WATER QUALITY.
Reporter: SOME WONDER HOW
MOSAIC CAN CAPTURE ALL THE
CONTAMINANTS NOW IN THE
AQUIFER.
DAVID SAYS THE RECOVERY PROCESS
WILL TAKE YEARS.
IF I START TO SEE A
DIFFERENCE IN MY WATER, THEN I
WILL BECOME CONCERNED.
Reporter: NOW, LET'S GIVE
YOU A LITTLE BIT OF PERSPECTIVE
ON THE SIZE OF THIS SINK HOLE
IF I MAY.
WE ARE GOING TO SHOW YOU AN
EXCAVATOR UP ON THE SIDE OF THE
GYPSUM STACK HERE.
THERE IT IS.
BOTTOM RIGHT SIDE OF THE
SCREEN.
FAIRLY LARGE PIECE OF
EQUIPMENT.
AND NOW, TAKE A LOOK AT THE
SIZE OF THIS SINK HOLE.
THAT IS ONE BIG HOLE.
AS YOU HEARD A LITTLE BIT
EARLIER, MOSAIC TELLS ME THERE
IS NO DANGER TO THE PUBLIC, BUT
IF NEARBY RESIDENTS ARE WORRIED
THEY WILL TEST THE WELLS.
WHY WEREN'T GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS MORE TRANSPARENT
ABOUT THIS?
WHY WASN'T MOSAIC MORE
TRANSPARENT ABOUT IT?
Reporter: GOOD QUESTION.
MOSAIC DID WHAT IT HAD TO DO.
IT NOTIFIED THE DEP, EPA, POLK
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
THIS WAS ALL KEPT UNDER WRAPS
FOR 19 DAYS BY DEP.
AND NO EXPLANATION FROM THE
STATE ABOUT THAT YET.
BUT WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THAT
NEXT WEEK.