POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – For the first time Mosaic gave News Channel 8 an up-close look at the giant sinkhole that opened up last August at the New Wales Fertilizer Plant.

Mosaic took a News Channel 8 crew on a hard hat tour to provide an update on the process of filling the sinkhole at the facility.

“We’re going to be dumping high pressure grout to seal the confining layer below the gypstack, and stop this water flow,” Project Manager Jeff Golwitzer said during the tour.

WFLA News Channel 8 broke the story about the massive sinkhole on top of a gypsum stack near Mulberry, which allowed millions of gallons of contaminated water to flow into the Floridan Aquifer.

Until the hole is sealed, contaminated water can continue to drain into the aquifer.

“There have been plenty of challenges. We’re learning lots of things as we go,” Mosaic official Herschel Morris said.

The sinkhole is 152 ft. wide. However, Mosaic officials do not know how much grout it will take to fill it.

They know it will take quite a bit, because they built their own cement factory on top of the Gypstack so they can mix their own.

Mosaic Officials estimate remediation costs could reach $70 Million. They expect to wrap up before the rainy season in early June.

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