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When Gov. Jeb Bush signed a $3-billion, 10-year
extension of the state's popular conservation land-buying program in 1999,
he beamed: "Florida Forever will continue Florida's role as a national
leader in preserving and protecting our precious natural resources for the
enjoyment of future generations." Multi-billion-dollar tax cuts pushed by
Gov. Bush led to a nearly $10 billion budget shortfall that required
legislators to raid such trust funds. Now you are left to pay for:
Phosphate mining impacts our water supply, wildlife or aquatic life,
functioning of wetlands, loss of fish and wildlife habitat and effect on
recreational, aesthetic and economic values
Sign your name on the petition at this website to stop this now!
www.charlottefl.com
For years, the phosphate mining companies, many of them foreign owned,
have used the quickest, cheapest ways of extracting phosphate to maximize
their profits then, selling it nationally and internationally. They then
left huge mountains of tailings, a pitted, scarred landscape that is
reminiscent of lunar photographs, and polluted lands and nearby waterways.
When Mulberry Phosphates went bankrupt 2 years ago it left the state
liable for millions in costs when they abandoned two gyp stacks at Piney
Point and Mulberry, Florida. The sites include several holding ponds
containing 2 billion gallons of highly acidic contaminated water.
Currently, the state expects to pay $160 million to close one of the
stacks and dump the holding ponds containing 2 billion gallons of highly
acidic contaminated water in the Gulf of Mexico. In short, they have been
making money by taking it from public resources, with no penalties, and no
responsible paybacks and the state is stymied as to what to do with the
waste products left behind.
We urge that approval for the extension of further mining is withheld for
the reasons stated below. Further, we wish to speak out strongly against
any further expansion of phosphate mining in Florida until it can be done
in a way that certifiably does not in any way pollute the bodies of water
throughout Florida.
1. It will further pollute the bays, rivers and harbors as far south as
Estero Bay. The phosphate industry is proposing to add 100 square miles of
new mines entirely within the Charlotte Harbor watershed, in the western
portions of Hardee and DeSoto County. These mines have great potential to
adversely impact the hydrology of the entire region, especially Horse
Creek, the largest tributary of the Peace River. Freshwater from these
streams are the lifeblood of Charlotte Harbor, the second largest and most
productive estuary in Florida. Phosphate mining removes 20 to 50 feet of
the semi-confining layer that separates the surficial aquifer from the
intermediate aquifer, which is the backbone of the area’s hydrology.
Degradation of this confining layer increases the potential for water
exchange between the aquifers and for one to pollute the other, thereby
contaminating the surrounding water.
2. It impacts to our public water supplies creating loss of surface water
resources. The Intermediate Aquifer, Horse Creek and the Peace River
provide drinking water to over 150,000 citizens of Charlotte, Sarasota,
and DeSoto counties.
3. During mining operations, the peak flow in the creeks that pass through
the property will be significantly reduced. The average flow of the Peace
River during the past 30 years is 37% less than the average flow of the
river during the previous 30 years. The U.S. Geological Survey indicates
that mining may be responsible for much of the lowered water tables and
reduced flows in the Peace River. Charlotte County questions the logic of
granting permission to a new mine proposing to take an additional average
of 6.5 million gallons per day (up to 14 million gallons per day) directly
out of the Peace River for corporate profits while past mining is partly
responsible for area residents being on water restrictions.
4. There will be a great reduction in wildlife habitat. Loss of important
wildlife habitats that have taken millions of years to create and will
never be replicated since mining operations and reclamation practices
dramatically alter the natural soils, topography and surface-drainage
patterns of the area mined. When the Florida Statutes effective July 1,
1975 required the reclamation of land that is mined pursuant to mandatory
phosphate reclamation standards, these standards applied only to wetland
areas. There are numerous bird species that have been observed on site.
Many are transient and migratory species, and these will be severely
impacted by the numerous toxic slime ponds within the area.
5. There is contamination of surface waters. By redistributing phosphates,
metals, salts, lead and radiological materials formerly contained in the
phosphate matrix, mining activities degrade aquifer, stream, and estuary
water quality. Increased levels of these materials have been linked to
harmful algal blooms in fresh and saltwater bodies, agronomic and potable
water quality problems, and serious health problems. Although “Red Tide”
is a naturally occurring phenomenon, it is exacerbated by these chemicals,
leading to deaths of fish, manatees, dolphins and respiratory problems in
humans.
6. Health problems in humans. Scientific studies have documented that
sixty percent (60%) of the radioactivity associated with phosphate is
concentrated in clays and sand tailings created by phosphate mining
operations. These radiological materials can accumulate in plants, animals
and humans. Studies have indicated that phosphate mining may be related to
an increased risk of leukemia, lung cancer and colon cancer observed in
Florida’s mining regions. Many pollutants spread throughout the surficial
aquifer are then transported throughout the basin, where they enter the
food chains of many species, including humans.
7. Construction of toxic slime ponds in the upland area will result in the
recharge of the surficial aquifer. Efforts to restore native habitats
through environmental reclamation of closed phosphate mining areas is
extremely challenging since the soil in these areas are heavy in
phosphatic clays, not the natural soil where active ecosystems developed
over thousands of years. See the picture above; these 100% clay-settling
ponds (slime pits) can reach depths of over 60 feet. This in turn,
adversely impacts natural freshwater flows, which are critical to
maintaining valuable on-site wetlands, streams and the estuary. Proposed
and future mines will directly and indirectly destroy many thousands of
acres of valuable native uplands, wetlands, aquatic and marine habitats
needed to maintain healthy wildlife populations throughout the basin.
.8. The State and National Government have been spending millions to try
to keep these water bodies safe for fishing and tourism; giving permission
for further exploitation and pollution by private enterprise will negate
their efforts. Although required to do so by state and federal
regulations, the permitting agencies have done little research to
understand the secondary and cumulative impacts of past, existing, and
proposed mines on our public water supplies, ecology, health and economy.
Thank you, Pauline Blocker, Charlotte County, Florida
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