Two days after the news broke of the sinkhole and leak at Mosaic, many people living in the Mulberry area still hadn’t heard about it.

  • Company said they were aware of issue Aug. 27
  • Problem not publicly acknowledged until Sept. 15

Johnny Jenkins was one of a small number of residents Saturday stopping by Walmart in Mulberry to buy water by the jug.
 
"We don't know if the wells are contaminated or how long it's been contaminated, so we're going to stay away from it,” said Jenkins.
 
Jenkins went on to say his family will be drinking and cooking with bottled water from now on.

RELATED: Phosphate plant sinkhole dumping contaminated water into ground
 
Mosaic has assured residents the radioactive waste water leaking from the sinkhole has not left its premises, and there's no threat to the public's water supply.

But Jenkins said he did some research and learned that the plant has had issues before.

"They claim that they have a well that sucking the radioactive water out, but I'm not buying it,” said Jenkins.

Resident Floyd Holland lives a mile from the plant's entrance. He’s just as concerned.

"I think it's messed up [Mosaic] waited this long to tell us," said Holland.

The company said it was aware there was a problem as early as August 27. However, company officials did not go on record with the problem until September 15, nearly three weeks later.