EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED AT LEAKING FLA. RESERVOIR

A mandatory evacuation order near a leaking Florida wastewater reservoir that affected more than 300 homes and additional businesses was lifted Tuesday as officials said the situation was under control.

With the deployment of more than two dozen pumps and other equipment, fears have eased that the reservoir from an old phosphate fertilizer plant would burst through its earthen walls and cause widespread flooding in Manatee County, just south of Tampa.

The reservoir initially held about 480 million gallons of contaminated water, but much has been drained away once the leak was discovered.

“The mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted,” said Scott Hopes, the county administrator. “We believe the risk has been mitigated and controlled.”

Earlier, officials announced that a major highway near the site, U.S. 41, would be reopened.

The decisions on Tuesday come as Florida lawmakers are proposing to spend up to $200 million to clean up and close the wastewater reservoir. But it was not immediately clear how officials plan to tackle what would be a huge engineering challenge.

The state Senate president, Republican Wilton

Simpson, said a legislative committee will take up an amendment today to use federal money for the project.

“This has been a catastrophe waiting to happen for too long,” Simpson said in a statement. “We don’t want to be talking about this problem again in five, 10 or 20 years.”

A House committee is also expected to consider a similar bill today.