ABSTRACT
Pond water is defined as whatever water is contaminated by the phosphate fertilizer manufacturing process, including rainfall runoff, generally ending up in the cooling pond or gypsum stack. With respect to pond water balance and inventory, the active gypsum storage facility is an inseparable extension of the cooling pond. Successful pond water management is the ability to control pond water inventories not only during normal weather conditions and at normal production rates, but also to deal with major variances from the assumed norms. It is obvious that makeup water could correct for pond water deficits, but it may not be readily available. Water treatment and reuse or discharge could deal with the reverse situation of too much pond water, but this could be a very expensive solution. In the case of a zero-discharge facility, discharge of treated pond water is not permitted.
