Take Action: Urge Brevard County Commissioners to Reconsider a Destructive New Landfill in the St. Johns River Floodplain

Reprinted from the Audubon Advocate

Image courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

This photo, provided courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel, shows why Brevard County’s quarter-century old proposal to build a landfill in wetlands on the St. Johns River Floodplain is a bad idea. Hundreds of acres of wetlands, including the cypress tree where the Bald Eagle is perched, would be destroyed. In addition to destroying important wildlife habitat for Bald Eagles and Threatened Species like Crested Caracara, Wood Storks and many other wading birds that use the site, placing a landfill there is harmful to water storage and water quality in the entire St. Johns River ecosystem.

The 3,000-acre landfill project, still being pursued in the environmental permit process by county staff, is located on property the County condemned from the Deseret Ranch back in 1991, just west of the St. Johns River, and just north of U.S. 192. Deseret Ranch proposes to retain the eastern part of its property surrounding the site in conservation and cattle ranching.

None of the current Brevard County Commissioners were in office when the landfill in the St. Johns River wetlands was first proposed. Advancements in solid waste disposal and opportunities for more recycling over the last 25 years have already extended the life of Brevard’s existing landfills, and suggest that today’s Brevard County leaders should take another look at alternatives before their staff launches into a long and expensive fight to gain approval of an antiquated plan from state and federal environmental agencies. While the state Department of Environmental Protection has indicated the intent to approve a permit, Deseret Ranch and others may challenge that permit – and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, backed by federal agencies has already signaled serious concerns about the County’s 1991 era proposal.

There is plenty of time for Brevard County to consider and implement alternatives at other sites to avoid a massive landfill in the St. Johns River wetlands. Current Brevard landfill capacity for construction debris and other non-garbage wastes will last until at least 2023. Brevard’s existing Class 1 Landfill which receives household garbage has 20 – 30 years of additional capacity.

Your voice is needed. Contact Brevard County Commissioners and ask them to take a pause in the permit process at the Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Ask Commissioners to get personally involved rather than leaving things to their staff, and to demand consideration of other solid waste management alternatives and sites to avoid placing a landfill in floodplain wetland areas important for water storage and water quality. Suggest that Commissioners consider regional partnerships and collaborative efforts - perhaps with other counties – to implement state of the art solutions. Click the red button below to send an email using our easy form.

For additional coverage on this issue, please see the following links:

• Orlando Sentinel (Editorial)
• Orlando Sentinel (Article)
• Florida Today (Article)