Chemours Mine Permit, Bradford Co. Thursday Oct 17

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October 13, 2019 Miscellaneous by OSFR 2 Comments

The Bradford Environmental Forum has sent the following information about the Chemours mine, which is applying for a permit to expand its mining operation. The county commission will hear this issue at its meeting on Thursday, October 17, 2019 in Starke at 6 pm, Courthouse, 945 N. Hwy 301.

This expansion mine is sand and titanium and not phosphate but still it draws water from our aquifer. This mine expansion is located in the Santa Fe River basin, so if you recreate on the Santa Fe River you have standing. The pollution from Chemours has the potential to reach the Santa Fe River. The Bradford commissioners have the power, if not the will, to deny this permit. Please tell them your opinion of this issue.

Chemours is a negative element which is harmful to our planet, and the company is a non-complier which cheats and is operating under a Consent Order because of multiple violations.

See below for some of these. Regarding the mining without a permit, more than once we have witnessed individuals addressing both the Bradford County Commission and the Suwannee River Water Management District Board requesting that the mining company be made to conform. Neither governing body has taken any action.

Chemours is also allowing Twin Pines Minerals, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, to mine alongside their operations. Twin Pines also has been cited for violations including operating in Florida without a permit and dumping wastewater in wetlands.

These two companies are corner cutters and have no respect for our planet nor for rules.

If you can, please come to Starke on Wednesday Oct. 17 and tell the commissioners why they should deny this permit. If you cannot make it to the meeting, you can email the commissioners at the following addresses. Note, these links are set up for mobile phones, if you have a desktop you will need to copy these emails and paste them into your regular write email page.

Ross Chandler bocc@bradfordcountyfl.gov
Kenny Thompson bocc@bradfordcountyfl.gov
Chris Dougherty chris_dougherty@bradfordcountyfl.gov
Danny Riddick bocc@bradfordcountyfl.gov
Frank Durrance frank_durrance@bradfordcountyfl.gov

The photo above is of an area of Chemours Mine. Thanks to Suwannee RiverKeeper, John Quarterman your historian was invited last summer on a SouthWings overflight of the Chemours/Twin Pines proposed mines.

Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
-A river is like a life: once taken, it cannot be brought back-

While we thought the Bradford County Commission hearing on the Chemours Application for a Special Permit for Mining would occur before the HPS II hearing we were surprised that the hearing has been scheduled for October 17, 2019, only one month after the Application form was submitted on September 17. This fast hearing date provides very little time to review and outflow to toe ditch an application for a very complex mining operation. There is no indication that Bradford County is seeking a review of the application by outside experts. Our review of the Chemours application reveals a number of problems with both in the application documents and the Mine Master Plan which is part of the application.The proposed mining will be conducted on 886 acres of land owned by the Suwannee River Water Management District along the Clay County line north of the Keystone Airport. The area to be mined includes 353 acres of wetlands. The Chemours Mine Plan fails to establish that the wetlands to be mined can be restored. Bradford County Land Development Regulations prohibit the mining of wetlands if it cannot be demonstrated that the wetlands can be restored, based upon competent and substantial scientific evidence presented to the County at the time the master mining plan is reviewed by the Board of County Commissioners.LDR ViolationsChemours is the company that took over the old Dupont mining operations in our area. It is noted that DuPont failed to obtain a Special Permit for Mining for the area that was mined between 1999 and 2003 south of Lawtey where CR 225 makes the big curve. The big curve was made in CR 225 so DuPont could mine the original straight road right of way. Bradford County has not responded to a written complaint filed in June 2016 about DuPont’s failure to obtain Special Permit for Mining in Bradford County . This seems to indicate Bradford County is unable or unwilling to enforce the mining requirements contained in its LDRs. Some of mined area at the big curve has not been reclaimed for over 10 years. The Bradford Land Development Regulations state “Reclamation shall commence on mined areas, within 18 months after mining is completed in the area.”Chemours has exceeded its discharge permit limits for flow during major rain events like Hurricane Irma. The excess flow impacts flooding along Alligator Creek from SR 230 east of the golf course to Lake Rowell.Chemours has also exceeded its discharge limits for iron. In response to excess iron discharges DEP simply doubled the limit form 1 mg/l to 2mg/l for 5 years while Chemours works to reduce it iron discharge.Chemours is also under a Consent Order to address a number of problems identified in an EPA inspection done in October, 2017. Many of the problems had not been noted during DEP inspections.Bradford County Needs to RespondGiven DuPont and Chemours environmental compliance record it is critical that Bradford County have in place a plan to evaluate the Application for a Special Permit for Mining and a mechanism to inspect the mining activities if they are permitted to insure all the requirements in the Bradford County Land Development Regulation are met.The BOCC hearing on the Chemours mining permit may foreshadow, if not predict how the BOCC will handle the issues associated with the HPS II hearing. For example, both permits call for the mining of wetlands.
BEF is working to collect information about the Chemours operations and its application for a Special Permit for Mining. We appreciate input from people who may have knowledge relevant to the application review. One area where we can use some help is identifying Florida Sandhill Crane populations. Florida Sandhill Cranes stay in Florida to nest and raise young. We can use information about when and where Sandhill cranes have been seen during summer months.We plan to place information on the BEF website to keep you informed about the Chemours mining proposal.

Special Mining Permit Hearing October 17 at 6 pm
Bradford County Zoning Commission, at the Courthouse, 945 N. Hwy 301, Starke

OSFR

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Our Santa Fe River, Inc is a Florida not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization composed of concerned citizens working to protect the waters and lands supporting the aquifer, springs and rivers within the watershed of the Santa Fe River. We do this by promoting public awareness pertaining to the ecology, quality, and quantity of the waters and lands immediately adjacent to and supporting the Santa Fe River, including its springs and underlying aquifer.

Chemours Mine Permit, Bradford Co. Thursday Oct 17

OSFR

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