This article is excerpted from Wave Maker’s News, our quarterly update on all things water in the Gulf of Mexico, check out the full newsletter here.Swimmers enjoying Manatee Springs State Park, not far from the proposed mine site. Photo courtesy of Paul Clark. In response to the recent release of a draft Environmental Impact Statement on a proposed mine site in Levy County, Florida, approximately one hundred citizens attended a public hearing held by the Army Corps of Engineers on May 31st in Inglis. Over 30 of these citizens stood up to express grave concerns about the effects the deep rock mining operations would have on their lives and their communities, from blasting and traffic to panther and black bear habitat damage. But the central theme of their testimony was the water under their feet and all around them. Levy County is built on karst, a swiss cheese of limestone caves through which Florida’s groundwater flows, creating crystal clear springs and rivers. Additionally, the mining company’s preferred alternative would include damage of up to 3,000 acres of wetlands. The Corps is accepting written comments via www.kingroadeis.com through July 11th.Cathy Harrelson is GRN’s Florida Organizer.
