The following article from the Englewood Sun was sent to me via email. Sorry I have no link to the original.
Despite Mosaic’s claims, the fact remains that phosphate mining destroys wildlife. The following statement by the Army Corps of Engineers in this article is a totally untrue. (and grammatically confusing)
“Downstream monitoring of aquatic communities has not documented clear cause and effect relationships between mine discharges and biological responses indicating indirect water quality effects have not been substantive,” the corps’ study states.
The 1997 discharge into South Prong Creek- Alafia River, and the 2004 gypstack discharge into Hillsborough Bay are well documented. Millions of aquatic animals were killed.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
-A river is like a life: once taken, it cannot be brought back-
Yep, once again “Peabody’s coal train done hauled Paradise away!” If the mines get any closer to the old Mount Olive Cemetery, they’ll haul my great-grandfather away (the Rev. James Mitchell Keen)….
Where do I start ?
Let me talk about the wildlife that I dont have anymore.There are no birds , no squirrels ,racoons ,rabbits , turtles , snakes and many other kinds if wildlife , in my yard or neighborhood anymore. There hasn’t been in almost 8 or 9 months now . I’m convinced that we owe that to the fact that soon after the Mosaic sinkhole (3.7 ) miles from my home and neighborhood and the fact that the Tailings mountains (not piles ), have been getting enormous as well as the gypstacks . The reason there are no more gypstacks being built is because every gypstack near my home has been added onto and reused in the past year and they are being added onto everyday . The Bartow stack was past the permited 200 feet in the summer months of this year . And its grown since then as well .
If the people of polk county were made aware of the fact that these stacks are going to continue to be reused as a dump site for other counties and also that they are reusing them after they have been capped off for years . I’m sure they would have been at every meeting Manatee had in the past to prevent this from happening . The problem is that these stacks are camophalged. They are hidden and if you are not someone like myself who pays attention to the everyday goings on pertaining to the stacks , you would never notice .
A few months ago I had the pleasure of speaking to someone who has 30 years + in the mining industry and is still employed at one of the Mosaic facilities here in polk . He stated to me that he hated the fact that Mosaic is ripping the ecosystem apart . When I told him that it was hard to see the stacks from the road no matter how big they are getting , he agreed . He added that Mosaic has intentionally made it that way for a reason.
The average person would take that statement in a way that they assume that they are hidden to keep the communities from seeing the eyesores that that are . But I know different . I know they hide them because they build them so close to populated communities . Such as the one behind the Mulberry Middle School. That is next door to a public housing apartment complex that sits adjacent to the school .
That stack and the one behind it has been out of use for years until recently and they both practically knock on the back door of the school and the apartments . There is no telling how much contamination has gone thru that school in the past decades .
As for the alligators and the tour Mosaic gave the sun . HaHa. I guessing they didnt show them the gators that go for a dip in the pits and get about 3 feet before they die and their eyes boil out .
I’ve got pics of the South Prong at the Alafia . In fact I just posted them again the other day in my group page . Its obvious that the contamination from the spill there a few years ago is still there . Because to this day thwre is no life in that water . Unless you count the Turtles that attempted to swim there and all thats left is their shells . That river is full of bones . Anywhere you look . No fish , no frogs or tadpoles . No lizards . Nothing !
Reclaimed ! You mean Rec and Laim. Because there is nothing reclaimed about any of that land . Thats why they plant Pines there . Because pine is basically the only plant life that will grow on the property within a year so that they can sell it after a year to the banks,county ,state , or contractors looking to steal some unknowing person or familys money . I mean look at Our old elected sheriff here in Polk county Louie Mims . He is buying that land left and right. He’s even gone so far as leasing the reclaimed land he bought dirt cheap , so that Mosaic can extend the size of the gypstacks . Another reason no new ones . They are adding on to the acerage size of them as well as the height of them .
I could go on forever as you all probably can guess . But before I go . I want to stress the fact that there is a way to prevent them from continuing to dig in some countys , such as Manatee . That is we have to stop them from being allowed to dump the gyp in other counties such as Polk and Hamilton .
IF THEY CANT DUMP IT , THEY CANT DIG IT .
As you all know , its like pulling teeth here in Polk to get any of the locals to help themselves and fight against mines . Its a culture here . The mining company executives take advantage of this . They count on Polk County communities staying ouy of their way . This needs to change and if we had the support of other counties to help defend the citizens in counties such as Polk and Hamilton then I’m sure that our county residents would take notice of whats going on.
The ones that know , ignore it and the ones that dont know are the ones we need to make aware of the dangers that the county residents are buying into without any knowledge most of the time of what is really here.
Louella phillips thank you for your great comment. Would love to talk. I live in Polk County and live near many mining operations. Hope we can connect.