TAMPA BAY, Fla. — Late last week the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced a temporary fix to the leak in a former Manatee County fertilizer plant that discharged some 215 million gallons of polluted water into Tampa Bay.

A DEP release said a plate was put into place to stop the leak and contain the 217 million gallons still in the 77-acre reservoir, and that the department would continue to oversee developments, including ongoing water testing in the bay.

Local nonprofit Tampa Bay Watch is also committed to keeping an eye on things, along with other environmental organizations.

History has proven, however, that the most serious and lasting effects of incidents such as this often aren’t felt until months or even years after the fact. And those among the human population most affected are the ones whose livelihoods depend on the environment itself.

“It’s not really a catastrophe right now,” says Captain Ryan Amaturo, who runs Tampa Bay inshore recreational fishing charter service Reel Nauti Fishing Charters and often stalks the waters near Piney Point hooking clients up with snook, redfish and other gamefish. “I’ve been out almost every other day since [the spill] started, it’s sort of my home base, and we’re doing OK down there.”

Which isn’t to say Amaturo isn’t concerned about the health of the area down the road.

“I’ll be honest, we’re worried about it,” he says of himself and other fishing guides. “I’m trying to be as positive as possible, but this is my career, my livelihood. It provides for my family.

“I’m still booking charters, the water clarity’s OK, there’s no smell, there’s no nasty dirty water that you can say is from what piney point did. Do I think there’s gonna be an algae bloom in late summer, early fall? I do. It’s really hard to tell right now what’s gonna happen, but we’re grateful it only ended up being half of what it was supposed to be. We got lucky.”

The water is still clear at the mouth of the Manatee River. (Scott Harrell)

A little more than ten miles south of the discharge site, near Bradenton’s northwestern coastal tip where the Manatee River meets Terra Ceia Bay, the owner of Bam Bait & Tackle is also a little nervous over what the future holds.

“Business just started back up, it’s probably going to kill me now,” Melissa Reek says. 

She hasn’t seen any visible or economic impact from the spill yet, but remains concerned for the immediate future.

“It’s probably not here yet, but I think it will, and it might hurt us,” she says.

Across the bay in St. Petersburg, sustainable seafood harvester Lost Coast Oyster Company has put its primary operation on hold for the time being.

“In the interest of being fully transparent and cautious, we will not be harvesting until further notice,” the company said in part in a Facebook post. “We are completely saddened by this lack of planning and blatant disregard for the environment, and feel that responsible parties need to be held accountable in a large way.”

Many Tampa Bay businesses rely directly or otherwise on the cleanliness of the ecosystem, from fisherman and seafood retailers to restaurants, hotels and seaside recreation providers. A lot of their business comes from tourism, but not all—plenty of residents cite the region’s natural beauty and amenities as primary reasons why they call the area home.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White represents District 4, which buts up against Manatee County just a few miles north of the Piney Point reservoir. He says he’s keeping a close eye on the fallout, as well.

“It’s absolutely something that’s on my mind,” he says. “Even though this gypstack and this problem lie within Manatee County, it’s waters in Manatee, HIllsborough and Pinellas that could be impacted.”

White is well aware that the repercussions of such an incident could be measured in dollars as well as damage to the ecosystem.

“I mentioned at our last meeting that not only is this an environmental issue, there could be a real economic impact as well,” he says. “The fishing industry is one industry that I mentioned in particular, both recreational fishing guides and also the commercial fishing industry.

“I am concerned, and it’s public knowledge that I asked the Hillsborough County attorney to be on standby in case the county needs legal recourse in all this,” says White. “That has yet to be seen, but the county is certainly postured to hold people accountable if livelihoods begin to be impacted.”