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Tropical Audubon Society Challenges Approval of “Southland Water Resource Project” Rock Mine
The Tropical Audubon Society, with Everglades Law Center, has formally challenged the imminent approval of the “Southland Water Resource Project” Rock Mine by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Filing a Petition for Administrative Hearing with the Department of Administrative Hearings, to block the mining company of Phillips and Jordan, Inc. from being issued an Environmental Resource Permit. The “Southland Water Resource Project” Rock Mine is located within the Everglades Agricultural Area, butting up against the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area. This is the same reservoir that corporations lost water access to in a 2021 lawsuit that they lost against the Army Corps of Engineers. The proposed 8,632-acre limestone mine poses significant risks to the multi-billion-dollar Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and the health, safety, and future of the Everglades ecosystem
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“This project has been packaged as a ‘water resource’ initiative, but the permit actually authorizes only large-scale mining,” said Tropical Audubon Society Senior Conservation Director Lauren Jonaitis. “It threatens to undermine decades of Everglades restoration progress, degrade water quality, and jeopardize wildlife habitat, while offering no proven benefit to the public.”
The Key Concerns Outlined in the Tropical Audubon Society Petition include –
This is the last chance to stop the “Southland Water Resource Project” Rock Mine. If this mine moves forward, decades of restoration progress and billions in public investment all go down the drain. The future of South Florida’s clean water and environment is at stake. You can help at home by supporting the Tropical Audubon Society and Everglades Law Center’s efforts and the Captains for Clean Water Rock Mine Campaign.
“This is not restoration, it’s industrial mining in the heart of the Everglades Agricultural Area,” said Barros, a lifelong birder who has documented wildlife in the area for more than three decades. “The stakes are too high to gamble with the future of the Everglades.”
The post Tropical Audubon Society Challenges Approval of “Southland Water Resource Project” Rock Mine appeared first on OutdoorHub.
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Tropical Audubon Society Challenges Approval of “Southland Water Resource Project” Rock Mine
The Tropical Audubon Society, with Everglades Law Center, has formally challenged the imminent approval of the “Southland Water Resource Project” Rock Mine by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Filing a Petition for Administrative Hearing with the Department of Administrative Hearings, to block the mining company of Phillips and Jordan, Inc. from being issued an Environmental Resource Permit. The “Southland Water Resource Project” Rock Mine is located within the Everglades Agricultural Area, butting up against the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area. This is the same reservoir that corporations lost water access to in a 2021 lawsuit that they lost against the Army Corps of Engineers. The proposed 8,632-acre limestone mine poses significant risks to the multi-billion-dollar Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and the health, safety, and future of the Everglades ecosystem
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“This project has been packaged as a ‘water resource’ initiative, but the permit actually authorizes only large-scale mining,” said Tropical Audubon Society Senior Conservation Director Lauren Jonaitis. “It threatens to undermine decades of Everglades restoration progress, degrade water quality, and jeopardize wildlife habitat, while offering no proven benefit to the public.”
The Key Concerns Outlined in the Tropical Audubon Society Petition include –
- Threats to Water Quality: The project could introduce high-phosphorus agricultural runoff and saline “connate” water into nearby wetlands and restoration areas, harming wildlife and vegetation critical to Everglades recovery.
- Reduced Water Flows to the Everglades: The design anticipates retaining all stormwater from certain major rain events onsite, potentially reducing freshwater flows to already-stressed areas such as Water Conservation Area 3A, which is already below its legally required minimum flow level.
- Inadequate Environmental Review: The project’s hydrogeologic modeling is uncalibrated and fails to provide reasonable assurances that downstream areas, including Everglades National Park and Florida Bay, will not be harmed.
- Risk to Public Investment: The A-2 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area represent billions in invested taxpayer dollars. Failure of the proposed mining project’s 100-foot-high rock storage piles during a major storm could damage the effectiveness of this infrastructure.
This is the last chance to stop the “Southland Water Resource Project” Rock Mine. If this mine moves forward, decades of restoration progress and billions in public investment all go down the drain. The future of South Florida’s clean water and environment is at stake. You can help at home by supporting the Tropical Audubon Society and Everglades Law Center’s efforts and the Captains for Clean Water Rock Mine Campaign.
“This is not restoration, it’s industrial mining in the heart of the Everglades Agricultural Area,” said Barros, a lifelong birder who has documented wildlife in the area for more than three decades. “The stakes are too high to gamble with the future of the Everglades.”
The post Tropical Audubon Society Challenges Approval of “Southland Water Resource Project” Rock Mine appeared first on OutdoorHub.
Continue reading...