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A massive sinkhole in Florida has caused an estimated 980 million litres of radioactive water to leak into the state's main drinking water supply.

The hole is said to be around 45feet in diametre and opened up beneath a pile of a waste material called phosphogypsum at a fertiliser plant.

Mosaic, the company which runs the plant, said it realised what had happened when water levels begin to fall in late August.

(Image: AP) (Image: AP)

The water has run into Florida's aquifier system which supplies water to millions of people and some recreational activities such as snorkelling and swimming.

However, Mosaic has insisted it has the problem under control and "no one is at risk".

The company said it "immediately implemented additional and extensive groundwater monitoring and sampling regimens and has found no offsite impacts."

(Image: AP)

Mosaic "began pumping water out of the west cell" of the affected phosphogypsum stack "into an alternative holding area on site to reduce the amount of drainage."

The company has also "begun the process of recovering the water" drained through the sinkhole "by pumping through onsite production wells," it said.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the Environmental Protection Agency are monitoring the situation.