Sinkhole Opens Under Water Treatment Pond at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

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Recently, a sinkhole opened under a wastewater treatment pond at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, where an estimated 2.5 million gallons of treated wastewater were dumped into the earth below, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

What’s Happening:

  • The 15-foot-by-15-foot sinkhole was discovered by Busch Gardens employees prior to park opening on November 18th.
  • The sinkhole opened in the last of a train of three ponds used in the park’s on-site wastewater treatment process, according to Brian Humphreys, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
  • After finding the sinkhole, Busch Gardens closed a low dam connecting the second and third treatment pond, but not before enough wastewater to fill nearly four Olympic swimming pools dumped to the ground below.
  • Said dam between ponds remains closed as of Friday, according to Humphreys.
  • The wastewater pond where the sinkhole occurred is located just a few hundred feet northwest of the Congo River Rapids attraction.
  • The pond above the sinkhole does not hold raw sewage. When wastewater is cleaned, it can go through several clean-up processes to remove fecal matter.
  • At Busch Gardens, the first of three ponds removes biological material, the second pond removes nutrients and the third pond stores water as it is cycled through an ultraviolet disinfection filter.
  • The third pond in that process is the one with the sinkhole.
  • Water sampling is ongoing, and Busch Gardens contracted an engineering firm to develop a plan to address the sinkhole.
  • Florida’s environmental department was notified of the issue by the park on the day of the incident, who now have staff on site at Busch Gardens to monitor the park’s response.
  • The state is also reviewing Busch Gardens’ permits and reporting requirements to determine what, if any, violations occurred or if there is a need for enforcement. The environment department will also be reviewing any proposed plan to address the sinkhole “to ensure it is protective of the environment and public health and safety."