Many thanks to Mark Lyon, a native of the upper St. Marys River, a resident of Baker County on the Florida side of the River, and an environmental activist, for bringing this threat to my attention. As observed by Mark, turns out Jacksonville Electric (JEA) has been moving many truck loads of coal ash over the state line into GA and dumping it as road base on Rayonier owned property roads in rural Charlton County. Rayonier's property borders the St. Marys River and the roadways being covered are 1-2 miles from the River directly impacting the watershed and several tributaries which flow by the roadway through the basin and into the River. JEA calls the coal ash material EZBase, which is simply the by-product of their coal fired electric generating plant in north Jacksonville. Unfortunately for JEA, the Florida Department of Natural Resources has found coal ash to contaminate drinking and surface water with various toxic metals and has prohibited its use in the State. So JEA, in agreement with Rayonier, itself a huge polluter of air and water from its paper mills in SE US, is moving its waste material to Georgia. Worse, despite the environmental policies of its neighboring State of Florida, the GA Department of Natural Resources has provided JEA special permission to continue this practice within close proximity to wetlands and to the St. Marys River, in what appears to be a clear violation of the Clean Water Act.
Currently, coal ash is not included on the EPA's list of hazardous materials and has left it up to individual states to regulate. Florida has elected to do so, Georgia has not. Consequently, coal fired electric utility plants are having more and more difficulty disposing of their coal ash waste material. Nobody wants it. So...send it to GA and make sure its dumped near a river.There are many links that document the dangers of coal ash which are easily googled. For example:
One in particular stands out as testiment to the potential dangers of coal ash in our fresh water supply and this occurred just across our border.
http://www.cleanwateraction.
So...why were we not aware of JEA requesting and receiving permission from GA DNR to go forward with their plan. Turns out that GA DNR does not digitize permission requests meaning such requests and granting of such variances are not available by the web to the public for comment. To gain access, one must drive to Atlanta to obtain a hard copy. Many thanks to Sydney Bacchus, Ph.D. Hydroecologist and environmental activist for obtaining a copy, or we would not be aware of much of this information. As she points out, DNR must be required to demand all applications for and subsequent followup of variance requests and deliberations be submitted to DNR in electronic format and published on the Web so as to offer citizen groups timely access to information.
And, that is not all. The St. Marys River Management Committee, through a grant from UGA, has tested the viability of existing septic systems in the Browntown area which borders several tributaries that flow into the St. Marys River and is located just upriver from Kingsland in Camden County. Turns out, test results during recent rainy periods showed presence of e Coli bacteria in the drainage ditches of some of the neighborhoods. This drainage flows directly into the River through several tributaries and can easily effect water quality of the River. E Coli bacteria can cause cholera and other serious illness. Improper handling of human waste is the culprit. Outdated or poorly maintained septic systems is the cause. Installation of new septic systems or rehabilitation of old, worn out systems is the fix. Unfortunately, individual homeowners must step forward for the fix to happen. In fact, the grant provides funds to help restore damaged or out dated systems. An educational program has been organized by the SMRMC to educate the local community on the dangers of poorly maintained septic systems and what fixes are available to help those that come forward.
The presence of e coli has considerable consequences and many are unaware of these problems. It's interesting how many people still believe that river water simply washes "away" contaminants and is replaced by fresh water from upstream. Little regard for what happens down stream. Not their problem. Unfortunately, it's every ones problem. Until a bunch of neighborhood kids become infected with e coli after swimming or playing in contaminated surface or River water, this problem may not have an easy fix. Enforcement may be the ultimate solution for the resistant few, and no one appears to have the stomach for that.
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