Shallow Wells Part 1
By Diane Johnson
On Sunday, March 22 more than 100 people gathered at the Sugarloaf Tiki Bar to voice their concerns and support the community-based organization Stop the Shallow Wells. Stop the Shallow Wells is raising money for two commercial fisherman, to pursue their legal case against the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). At issue is the Cudjoe Sewage Wastewater Treatment Plant’s disposal process, which plans to inject treated effluent into four shallow wells. Effluent is the water flowing out of a sewage treatment facility. Shallow wells are only 120 feet deep. At risk is the quality of our near shore waters.
Dr. David Vaughan, Director of the Mote Marine Lab, pointed out that the shallow wells would only be 10 – 20 feet lower than the level of our near shore waters. His concern is that the treated effluent, which has less density than salt water, will bubble out of the shallow wells and affect the corals. His point is we shouldn’t wait until it’s a problem. The solution is to dig a deep well, which goes down to a depth of 2000 feet to the boulder zone, where the effluent can be contained.
Attorneys Lee R. Rohe and Caron Balkany are representing the fisherman, also known as individual petitioners, who are pursuing litigation against FKAA and FDEP. “You have got to fight for your own environment”, said Rohe. “Imagine the size of a football field ten feet deep. That’s what a million gallons looks like and will be pumped into the shallow wells everyday.” Mike Laudicina, one of the fishermen expressed his concern that pumping the effluent into shallow wells where it ends up in the Bay defeats the whole purpose of a public sewage system.
Sugarloaf Shores and Cudjoe Gardens are two Property Owner Associations (POAs) who are also pursuing litigation against FKAA and FDEP. Their petitions are being handled by Attorney Diana Davis, Esq. and are on a legal path to an Administrative Law Judge. The POAs and individual petitioners are challenging FDEP’s renewal of their plant operations permit and authorization to operate the shallow wells.
Dig Deep is an informal public interest group focused on education and increasing public awareness of the issues involved in the disposal of the effluent at the Cudjoe Sewage Wastewater Treatment Plant, which will serve the communities from Lower Sugarloaf to Big Pine Key.
Harry Powell, a former Key West City Commissioner is a member of Dump the Pumps, who have been fighting the grinder pumps, part of an individual homeowner’s sewage collection system. According to Powell, FKAA and FDEP never did an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact Study.
All of the organizations involved share a common goal: dig a Deep Well the first time and protect our local waters. They care about threats to our environment and the economy, and are willing to pursue their case in a court of law. If you want to get involved refer to these websites: http://www.digdeepcudjoe.com and http://www.stopshallowsewagewellsinthefloridakeys.com
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The amazing thing is that the FKAA, herein referred to as “weasels” have steadily increased the amount for water charges from an average monthly bill in 2001 of $6.50, to over $60.00, citing the improvements made to water quality.
It should be known that 14 years ago the weasels hired a consultancy to determine whether they were charging enough money. Obviously, by the premise of that hiring, the answer needed to be a resounding “No!”
Thus was born the “base facility charge” that automatically added $11.01 to everyone’s monthly charges.
What, one may ask, have the weasels done with the additional funding? One thing is for certain; they have not helped the environment. Shallow wells is proof of the weasels nature of giving back less than they take.