Jeff Bezos’s aerospace company, Blue Origin, has applied for a permit to dump half a million gallons of wastewater each day into Florida’s Indian River Lagoon. The proposal has caused quite a stir among communities that have spent years and millions of dollars restoring this sensitive ecosystem.
A Blue Origin spokesperson told Gizmodo that it is seeking renewal of an existing permit that has been in place for five years and that the company is committed to maintaining responsible and compliant operations. But for many local residents and community leaders, this is the first time they’re seeing the details in black and white, and they’re not happy about it.
“The Indian River Lagoon is already fighting for its life,” a petition posted on Change.org reads. “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.” As of Tuesday morning, the petition had 5,176 signatures.
The Brevard County commission will discuss Blue Origin’s proposal during its regular weekly meeting Tuesday evening, Fox 35 Orlando reports. The commission will vote on whether to request a public meeting from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) due to residents’ concerns.
Gizmodo reached out to Brevard County Commissioner Katie Delaney and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for comment but did not receive responses by the time of publication.
The fight to save the Indian River Lagoon
The Indian River Lagoon is a 156-mile-long (251-kilometer-long) estuary that makes up 40% of Florida’s eastern coast, according to Indian River County. Home to more than 4,300 species—50 of which are threatened or endangered—it’s one of the most biodiverse estuaries in the U.S.
Local governments, including Indian River County and Brevard County, have been working to protect and restore the Indian River Lagoon for years. One of the main threats to this ecosystem is degraded water quality due to factors such as nutrient pollution, harmful algae blooms, and wastewater pollution. Community members and leaders have raised concerns that Blue Origin’s continued dumping could reverse the progress they’ve made.
“That’s really troubling to me especially when we are spending so much money as a community on the half-cent sales tax and the save the Indian River Lagoon tax,” Brevard County Commissioner Katie Delaney told Fox 35 Orlando. These initiatives have helped the county raise $417.5 million to support the lagoon’s restoration.
Blue Origin’s controversial proposal
The permit Blue Origin is seeking would allow the company to operate an industrial wastewater treatment facility, which would discharge 0.467 million gallons of treated wastewater and 0.015 million gallons of untreated wastewater into an onsite stormwater pond per day. This wastewater would then be discharged into the Indian River Lagoon.
The good news is that the draft permit outlines strict prohibitions, limitations, and monitoring activities aimed at mitigating Blue’s impact on the ecosystem. Still, many Space Coast residents fear for the future of Indian River Lagoon, not to mention the wildlife and industry it supports.
“Our homes, our wildlife, our water, our economy, and our future depend on a healthy Lagoon,” the Change.org petition reads.
The Florida DEP intends to issue the permit as drafted unless public comments lead to changes. The outcome will signal how far Florida is willing to go to protect one of its most fragile ecosystems, even if it means placing new limits on a high-profile Space Coast operator.
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