I got these additional figures indicate that Chemours wants to mine right up to Double Run Creek, upstream from the Santa Fe River.
I got them by following up on the
Chemours application to the Army Corps for a permit to mine TiO2 on SRWMD land,
Additional Project Drawings, Chemours application to USACE to mine on SRWMD land –SWCA 2025-01-02
Chemours can’t continue mining without this permit,
which it must get from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE),
because of the successful lawsuit by Miami Waterkeeper, St. Johns Riverkeeper, et al.,
to revoke the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)
takeover of federal Clean Water Act permit applications.
See
the third page of the USACE application form:
This project was originally review[sic] and approved by the USACE in 2020
pending the issuance of the State Water Quality Certification. Prior
to USACE receiving the State Water Quality Certification, the EPA
approved Florida’s State 404 Program, which became effective on Dec.
22, 2020, and all USACE pending permits were transferred to the
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for
processing.
This project was subsequently reviewed, and Phase 1 was approved on
June 6, 2022, under the FDEP State 404 Program, Permit no.
ST404_137482-022. A portion of the Phase 1 approved impacts have
been completed. The approval of Phase 2 is needed for Chemours to
continue mining operations without any disruptions. Due to the FDEP
being divested of its authority to issue State 404 Program permits
on Feb 15, 2024, Chemours has requested the USACE review and approve
the entire project for compliance consistency.
For that lawsuit, see Continue reading →