Protest in Rockledge Against Injecting Sewage Water in Aquifer

On Wednesday, April 1st, 2009, Demonstrators will gather at Rockledge City Hall to ask their local officials to stop a sewage water injection plan that has sparked controversy in Rockledge, Florida. The City proposes to annually inject 180 million gallons of partially treated sewage into the Floridan aquifer, the Underground Source of Drinking Water (USDW), via an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) well. The City has banned all potable water wells within a one mile radius in preparation for their application for a cycle testing permit to be submitted to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). The City has never held a formal public hearing to allow residents to express their concerns for their water rights, loss of property values, and impacts to the Floridan aquifer and the Indian River Lagoon, which is less than 2,000 feet from the proposed injection site. The planned demonstration will occur for one hour prior to the group Save Our Aquifer (SOA) being on the Rockledge City Council Agenda the same evening. A crowd is expected to gather and then move inside the Council chamber carrying signs from the demonstration into the Council chamber at 6:30 p.m.. Jim Egan, Director of the Marine Resources Council of East Florida will provide a power point presentation, during the Council meeting, under the Save Our Aquifer Agenda item, entitled, “What Science Says About ASR.”

 Demonstration: Wednesday, April 1, 2009, April Fools Day