A brief history
Phosphate is a non-renewable natural resource that is obtained from the extraction of minerals that contain phosphate. Florida’s phosphate rock deposits are believed to have originated when seawater conditions caused dissolved phosphorus to solidify and form the sediment that is mined today (1). Marine life also played an important role in the formation of the sediment deposits.
An Army Corps of Engineers captain (5) first discovered Pebble River phosphate along the Peace River, Florida, in the late 19th century. Phosphate extraction began soon after. Florida miners did not have mechanized excavation equipment. That means early mining was done by hand using wheelbarrows, wagons, picks and shovels. The mining task was slow and laborious, but the phosphate pebble showed promise. Interest in this pebble increases and the phosphate industry is born. The 20th century brought mechanized digging equipment like power shovels to Florida’s phosphate mines, but hydraulic shovels didn’t last long.
Draglines were first introduced in the 1920s and their use has increased ever since. Dragline technology continued to advance, leading miners to move from phosphates from river pebbles to those from land pebbles and hard rocks, and then to extracting the finer-grained “phosphate matrix.”
Phosphate matrix deposits (4) occur in a wide area of west-central Florida known as “Bone Valley”. In 1900, it took 3-4 years to mine 15 acres with picks and shovels. In the early days of the small draglines, about 5 acres were removed in a year. As draglines grew in size, they could mine 500 to 600 acres a year. Conservatively, today’s draglines can completely destroy 50 acres per month.
Phosphate Mining Process Florida’s phosphate (matrix) ore is found about 40 feet below the earth’s surface. The matrix is intertwined with one of Florida’s true treasures, the aquifer systems. The phosphate rock is mined and then manufactured through the fertilizer manufacturing process. A typical Florida phosphate mine yields about 9,000 tons of phosphate rock per acre of land. Huge draglines are brought in that can remove Florida soil from the surface 100 feet down to remove the entire “field” of the matrix.
The phosphate industry refers to the mined earth as “surcharge”. The rest of us call it orange groves, meadows, old spas, springs, aquifer systems, rivers, springs, etc.
Once the overburden is removed, draglines can “remove” the matrix, which consists of equal parts PR, clay, and sand. The matrix (2) is then dumped into huge sludge pits where literally untold volumes of fresh, clean water from the aquifer are used.
The water comes from freshly ground aquifers under the mighty dragline. Billions of gallons of Florida freshwater are released and used in high-pressure water cannons to create a slurry that can then be pumped to the beneficiation plant, which can be up to 10 miles away.
In the processing plant, the phosphate is separated from the sand and clay. The toxic sludge is then stored in huge clay settling ponds until untold amounts of water evaporate from the aquifer.
One byproduct, called phosphogypsum, is slightly radioactive, so it can’t be easily disposed of. The only thing miners can do with it is to pile it up in mountainous piles next to processing plants. Florida is such a flat state that the 150-foot-high “gypsum piles” are often the highest point on the landscape for miles around. They contain large pools that can be as large as a square mile of highly acidic sewage.
Not surprisingly, mining and mineral processing facilities generate more toxic and hazardous waste than any other industrial sector. (4) Reducing the environmental impacts of the operations of large fertilizer manufacturers is a national priority for the EPA.
The United States produces the largest amount of phosphate (2) in the world, while Morocco and China rank second and third, respectively. Phosphate reserves are found in Central Florida, North Carolina, Utah, and Idaho. Florida currently provides approximately 75 percent of the nation’s phosphate fertilizer supply and about 25 percent of the world’s supply. Follow the Money Florida’s phosphate deposits today are the foundation of an $85 billion industry that supplies most of the phosphate consumed in the United States. Of the $85 billion worth of the industry, only a few million dollars are spent in the local communities where the mines are located. Some have called this a boon to local communities. However, the phosphate industry appears to be a bad neighbor. This is because they are “allowed” to leave their environmental catastrophes behind for local citizens to pay for. Interestingly, the Central Florida phosphate mines are now known as “Bone Valley”.
This $85 billion phosphate production area is located in the midst of one of Florida’s greatest natural treasures called aquifer systems or “water tables.” These aquifer systems can be compared to bee hives, where the aquifer system is the hive and the water replaces the honey.
Aquifer systems are considered the foundation for all of Florida’s clean fresh water supply. Today, this Central Florida phosphate region (3) consists of Hillsborough, Polk, Hardee, DeSoto, and Manatee counties. These same counties also contain huge watersheds including the Alafia River Watershed, Peace River Watershed, Manatee River Watershed, Little Manatee River Watershed, and Myakka River Watershed.
As of this article, the phosphate industry continues to buy more land intended to extract the valuable phosphate in the aforementioned basins. Florida’s phosphate dilemma continues to escalate, causing more extensive irreparable environmental damage on a daily basis.
resource information
1. Florida Institute of Phosphate Research (FIPR)
2. Florida DEP Mining and Minerals Regulations
3. Watershed data
4. Peace River Cumulative Impact Study
5. US Army Corps of Engineers—Jacksonville District
