In late 2010, a sinkhole formed in Lithia that measured 130 feet across and 60 feet deep. While sinkholes can be problematic no matter where they form, this one was especially dangerous because it formed right under the Southeast County Landfill.
Hillsborough County really dodged a bullet. So far, groundwater supplies directly underneath the landfill remain pollution-free. Otherwise, there could’ve been not only an environmental catastrophe, but also one that would affect the drinking supply for thousands of residents.
Sinkholes typically involve the natural process of erosion. Over many, many years rainfall seeps into limestone and erodes it, causing the ground to cave in. In Florida, which is built largely on limestone, sinkholes are bountiful and unpredictable. As every homeowner in Pasco County knows, the insurance in sinkhole-prone areas comes at a significant cost — when you can get it.
While sinkholes can cause significant property damage, the potential risk to groundwater supplies is real. No amount of assurance can justify building a landfill in a sinkhole-prone area.
A number of toxins can be found in the leachate collected from landfills that could hurt or even kill people:
- Toluene (found in paint thinners and dynamite)
- Phenols (found in disinfectants and food additives, and known to hurt a person’s endocrine system, responsible for hormone production and distribution)
- Benzene (once found in high concentrations in gasoline until it was discovered to be a leading cause of cancer)
- Ammonia (found in fertilizers and cleaners)
High-technology with short-life electronics have boosted other toxins in landfills as well, especially mercury and chromium. Mercury is a highly toxic metal, while some forms of chromium are considered major carcinogens.
Sinkholes are a major possibility at the landfill site Angelo’s Aggregate Materials is proposing in Pasco County. In fact, sinkholes already exist there.
Angelo’s claims the likelihood of future sinkholes forming on the property where the landfill is planned is low. Yet, government officials received the same assurances in Lithia back in the 1980s before a sinkhole a third of the size of a football field, and deep enough to fit a five-story building, opened up.
The risk is too great, not just to Pasco County, but to everyone who depends on water from the Green Swamp. That’s the entire Tampa Bay region.