Tag Archives: Trail Ridge South Mine

Chemours spilled wastewater from Trail Ridge Mine into Bradford County, FL 2024-09-14

Chemours had another spill into the Santa Fe River Basin from its Trail Ridge South titanium dioxide (TiO2) Mine. They say this one was very small.

It took a different path than the one on January 30, 2024, but it also eventually drains into the Santa Fe River.

This spill was north of Camp Road, west of Treat Road, actually in Clay County, on land owned by the State of Florida, draining into Bradford County.

The spill was reported at coordinates 29.89094873, -82.04341783, puts it at the top of Double Run Branch 03110206003356, on land in Clay County owned by Armory Board State of Florida.

[Tailings Spills from Chemours Trail Ridge South Mine in Clay County into Bradford County, Santa Fe River]
Tailings Spills from Chemours Trail Ridge South Mine in Clay County into Bradford County, Santa Fe River

That drains west into Bradford County, through land owned by SRWMD and Rayonier Forest Resources, LP, into Double Run Creek, which goes through land owned by Schoeffel Enterprises LLC and Harry W. and Mary Ann Kyle, before it drains through more Rayonier and SRWMD land into the Santa Fe Swamp Conservation Area into the Santa Fe River.

Here is the report we received from FDEP at 5:11 PM, Monday, September 14, 2024. Continue reading

PFAS in the Santa Fe River Basin in Florida

Some people are interested in whether PFAS from titanium dioxide (TiO2) mines or other sources is getting into the New or Santa Fe Rivers in Florida.

For example, the new Chemours Trail Ridge South Mine southeast of Starke, Florida, appears to drain into Double Run Creek, which runs into the Santa Fe River.

[PFAS in Santa Fe River from TiO2 Mines?]
PFAS in Santa Fe River from TiO2 Mines?
Detail from WWALS map of the Suwannee River Water Trail.

We don’t know about those rivers yet, because nobody has tested them. We do have a few datapoints for a few city drinking water systems, and they’re all clean, although Newberry, just outside the Basin, is not.

No doubt it is possible to find that data in FDEP’s Oculus Document Management System, in the same way it is possible to win a jackpot in Las Vegas. If you already know about six very specific parameters, sure, Oculus will find it. Continue reading

Chemours: new Florida mine, what about next to the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia? 2021-04-23

On the same day the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) filed a notice of intent to issue a permit for a new titanium mine on Trail Ridge in Bradford County, Florida, the Sierra Club posted an action alert for people to ask what does Chemours intend to do about the Twin Pines Minerals mining application within three miles of the Okefenokee Swamp in Charlton County, Georgia?

You can use the Sierra Club Action to ask Chemours to disavow any interest in that Twin Pines Minerals mine or site.
https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/Georgia?actionId=AR0326624

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp welcomed yet another Chemours mine to Georgia just last fall, yet the day before these two events he refused to state an opinion on the proposed mine next to the Okefenokee Swamp. You can ask him to speak up against it, by using the Waterkeeper Alliance Action Alert, which will send a message to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) and Georgia elected officials asking them to reject the permit applications for that site.
https://wwals.net/?p=55092

[Map of mines on Trail Ridge, Twin Pines Minerals, Chemours]
Map of mines on Trail Ridge, Twin Pines Minerals, Chemours

The Twin Pines Minerals proposed mine site is in the middle right of this map, barely southeast of the Swamp, south of Chemours Mission Mine North and Mission Mine South in Georgia, and north of a string of Chemours mines in north Florida, with the new Chemours Trail Ridge South Mine indicated at the bottom end of that row.

Why would Chemours not be interested in a mine in the middle of Trail Ridge, where Twin Pines Minerals has said the mining is the most convenient? Continue reading

Videos: Chemours titanium mine expansion, Bradford BOCC 2019-10-17

Here are videos of all the speakers, for, against, staff, and Commissioners, at the Thursday Bradford County Commission about Chemours expanding onto SRWMD land in a new Trail Ridge South Mine.

I especially recommend the Commissioner Comments, in which each Commissioner explains his position before the vote.

You’ve already seen the 3 to 2 Bradford BOCC vote for the Chemours Trail Ridge South titanium mine on SRWMD land.

Below are links to each WWALS video of each speaker, followed by a WWALS video playlist. The videos are unedited. The only gaps are Continue reading

Chemours titanium mine expansion, Bradford BOCC 2019-10-17

Update 2019-10-19: The rest of the WWALS videos of the entire Public Hearing.

Bradford BOCC voted 3:2 for the Chemours Trail Ridge South titanium mine on SRWMD land. Commissioner Chris Dougherty (District 3) made the motion, Kenny Thompson (District 2) seconded, Frank Durrance (District 5) aye, Danny Riddick (District 4) nay, Ross Chandler (District 1) nay.

[Commissioners and staff]
Commissioners and staff

Here’s the WWALS video:


Chemours titanium mine expansion, Bradford BOCC 2019-10-17
Video by John S. Quarterman for WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS), Bradford County Courthouse, Starke, Florida.

I will post more videos later of the two hours of public comment, including numerous specific citations of faults with the mining application, as well as the very professional-seeming Chemours slide show, which nonetheless omitted important features such as the FDEP Consent Order and whether Twin Pines Minerals is involved.

This is not the end of the story. Several speakers warned them they were setting themselves up for lawsuits about the improper notice of last night’s Public Hearing. According to Chemours, they still need many permits: Continue reading