Brevard pushes for public hearing on Blue Origin’s wastewater dumping permit

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — Brevard County is awaiting a response after sending a letter to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection requesting to hold a public hearing about concerns over Blue Origin’s wastewater permit.

The concerns revolve around the company’s plan to dump about 500,000 gallons of industrial wastewater daily into the Indian River Lagoon.

Blue Origin officials are hoping to get an extension of the company’s existing permit to continue discharging the treated water, but it’s now in the hands of the Florida DEP whether that will happen.

Meanwhile, concerns are growing about the health of the lagoon.

Laurilee Thompson, a founding member of Indian River Lagoon Roundtable, said organization members were not aware Blue Origin was dumping treated wastewater into a ditch at its Merritt Island facility that runs to the waterway. The roundtable identifies itself as a group that looks into “environmental issues that may have an adverse effect on the Indian River Lagoon.”

The permit was first granted by the Florida DEP in July 2020.

“There’s a false perception that a healthy estuary can withstand large purges of fresh water,” Thompson said. “It changes the salinity regime. Too much fresh water makes it difficult for seagrass to thrive. It can survive, but we want it to thrive.”

Over the past few weeks, an online petition against the agreement has received more than 40,000 signatures.

“The Indian River Lagoon is already fighting for its life,” the petition stated about Blue Origin. “Decades of nutrient pollution, algae blooms, seagrass collapse, habitat loss, and record manatee deaths have pushed this fragile ecosystem to the edge. Now, it faces a NEW threat — and it’s one we cannot ignore.” 

Blue Origin previously sent Spectrum News a statement saying the permit request is a renewal of an existing agreement that has been in place for more than five years. The spokesperson added that the company is “committed to maintaining responsible and compliant operations.”

The deadline for public comment on the issue is Thursday, Dec. 18.