Florida Residents File Lawsuit Over Sinkhole Leak
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TAMPA (CBSMiami) -- Some Florida residents filed a lawsuit against a company accusing them of negligence after a massive sinkhole opened up at their plant, leaking contaminated waste water into the state's main underground sources of drinking water.
The complaint filed on Thursday alleges The Mosaic Company knew about the sinkhole and leak since August 27th but did not alert the public until mid-September causing damage to the community.
The hole opened up beneath a pile of waste material prompting the leak of more than 200 million gallons.
The company said they believe the sinkhole which is about 45 feet in diameter reaches down to the Floridan aquifer.
Mosaic says it's monitoring groundwater and has found no offsite impacts, as of Thursday.
Residents in the Central Florida city of Mulberry - near to the plant where the leak occurred - remain concerned about their drinking water.
In response, the company says they are offering free, third-party testing of their drinking water upon request.
As of Friday, the company said they had received about 210 requests to test wells and are prioritizing based on the proximity to the New Wales facility where the leak occurred.
The company is also offering free bottled water to concerned residents.