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Posted On: April 30th 2026, 06:26 pm
Mosaic, a Tampa-based fertilizer and agricultural company, is seeking federal approval to expand one of its waste piles by 180 acres - raising concerns among Tampa Bay environmental advocates and USF students.
Mosaic’s Riverview East Stack waste pile is a hundreds-feet-tall phosphogypsum stack that contains radioactive waste left over from fertilizer production, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
It is located about 20 miles south of US’s Tampa campus.
In February 2026, Mosaic requested a Clean Water Act permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fill nearby waters west of its Riverview facility, according to WUSF.
The phosphogypsum stack was expected to reach capacity around 2030 - but the proposed expansion would extend operations at the site to about 2046, according to The CLEO Institute.
Phosphogypsum is a waste byproduct from fertilizer production that contains radioactive materials, including radium, which can decay and increase cancer risk, according to the EPA.
Mosaic has also supported US in the past - donating $100,000 in 2025 to expand Feed-A-Bull’s main Tampa campus facility, now known as the Mosaic Pantry, according to USF.
Patricia Spellman, an assistant professor at USF, focuses on research topics including groundwater hydrology and agricultural sustainability.
Spellman said there is “no good way” to dispose of phosphogypsum, which is cancer-causing, adding that it must be contained and regulated for public safety.
She added that several environmental concerns and questions come with the expansion - including how phosphogypsum will be handled in the future, how it can be reused or recycled and what to do about the increasing piles of waste in the area.
“This could just be a never-ending process, and I think that the proximity to the coast, the vulnerability of that area, it could increase risk for human health and wildlife,” Spellman said. “So I’m not a huge fan of it.”
✍️ Check out my full story: https://www.usforacle.com/2026/04/30/usf-students-say-mosaic-phosphogypsum-poses-environmental-threat/
📸 Violet Vasquez Pimentel
🎨 Thomas Marrs
🌳 Click the link in bio to read more!
Mosaic’s Riverview East Stack waste pile is a hundreds-feet-tall phosphogypsum stack that contains radioactive waste left over from fertilizer production, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
It is located about 20 miles south of US’s Tampa campus.
In February 2026, Mosaic requested a Clean Water Act permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fill nearby waters west of its Riverview facility, according to WUSF.
The phosphogypsum stack was expected to reach capacity around 2030 - but the proposed expansion would extend operations at the site to about 2046, according to The CLEO Institute.
Phosphogypsum is a waste byproduct from fertilizer production that contains radioactive materials, including radium, which can decay and increase cancer risk, according to the EPA.
Mosaic has also supported US in the past - donating $100,000 in 2025 to expand Feed-A-Bull’s main Tampa campus facility, now known as the Mosaic Pantry, according to USF.
Patricia Spellman, an assistant professor at USF, focuses on research topics including groundwater hydrology and agricultural sustainability.
Spellman said there is “no good way” to dispose of phosphogypsum, which is cancer-causing, adding that it must be contained and regulated for public safety.
She added that several environmental concerns and questions come with the expansion - including how phosphogypsum will be handled in the future, how it can be reused or recycled and what to do about the increasing piles of waste in the area.
“This could just be a never-ending process, and I think that the proximity to the coast, the vulnerability of that area, it could increase risk for human health and wildlife,” Spellman said. “So I’m not a huge fan of it.”
✍️ Check out my full story: https://www.usforacle.com/2026/04/30/usf-students-say-mosaic-phosphogypsum-poses-environmental-threat/
📸 Violet Vasquez Pimentel
🎨 Thomas Marrs
🌳 Click the link in bio to read more!
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