TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Immediately after the state scrambled past spring to reduce a likely disaster at a former phosphate-plant site, a federal decide will hear arguments Tuesday about whether he should toss out a lawsuit filed by environmental groups alleging “malfeasance” in the managing of harmful squander.

U.S. District Choose William Jung will keep a listening to in Tampa on motions by the Florida Section of Environmental Safety, Gov. Ron DeSantis, and other defendants to dismiss the lawsuit centered on the Piney Place web-site in Manatee County.

The lawsuit came soon after about 215 million gallons of wastewater were being discharged from the web page into Tampa Bay in April due to the fact of fears about a potentially catastrophic breach of a reservoir. The lawsuit mentioned the discharges, in component, induced unsafe algae blooms and fish kills. Also, nearby people experienced to be briefly evacuated simply because of fears of a breach.

The Center for Biological Range, Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, Suncoast Waterkeeper, Manasota-88, and Our Children’s Earth Basis alleges that the condition and other defendants extended mishandled the web page.

Read through: Piney Position wastewater leak: A history of the previous phosphate plant website

But the Section of Environmental Defense contends that the lawsuit should be dismissed mainly because it is “moot.” The section said a individual case in state court docket has led to an appointed receiver overseeing endeavours to close the site.

“An enforceable point out court docket purchase to close the facility is presently in location, the receiver is operating diligently to carry out that buy, and plaintiffs are not entitled to invoke this (federal) court’s jurisdiction just since development is not yet to their satisfaction,” office attorneys wrote in a Feb. 4 document.

But in a Jan. 21 submitting, lawyers for the environmental groups said the receiver is engaged in “preparatory function.” Also, they argued that the case consists of disputes about broader concerns, which includes what is regarded as a National Air pollution Discharge Elimination Method allow for the website.

“There is no prepare in place (from the receiver), allow alone proposed,” the plaintiffs’ filing mentioned. “Even if the (federal) court docket had been to settle for that the receiver will ultimately accomplish ‘closure,’ that would continue to leave unaddressed plaintiffs’ statements regarding groundwater contamination and the absence of any NPDES permit. A dwell controversy exists, and this situation is not moot.”

Study: Proposed law would permit developers wipe out seagrass, pay out to have it planted in other places

The lawsuit alleges violations of the federal Clear H2o Act and a regulation recognised as the Resource Conservation and Restoration Act. In the lawsuit, attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote they are trying to get to “assure Piney Point is operated and closed in a method that complies with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and abates the existing imminent and sizeable endangerment to human health and fitness and the ecosystem, which includes endangered species these kinds of as manatees and sea turtles.”

In addition to DeSantis and the Section of Environmental Security, the other defendants are home proprietor HRK Holdings, LLC and the Manatee County Port Authority — equally of which also submitted motions to dismiss the case.

Piney Point contains harmful phosphogypsum stacks, a byproduct of phosphate production, which took position at the web site from 1966 to 1999. Condition and regional officials and HRK rushed to shore up the web page in April right after leaks of wastewater raised issues about a breach.

Also, point out lawmakers earmarked $100 million to support take care of the complications at the web site.

In a document submitted Feb. 3, lawyers for DeSantis explained the circumstance against him ought to be dismissed, in portion, for the reason that he is not an “operator” of Piney Issue.

“In outcome, they (the plaintiffs) argue that each motion (or inaction) by an company personnel is quickly imputed, and thereby traceable, to Governor DeSantis,” the doc reported. “They are erroneous. Without a doubt, they cite zero authority for this sweeping proposition, regardless of their obvious stress to verify standing.”