Florida draft permit would let mill dump 12 million gallons of wastewater a day into Fenholloway River

For years, industrial pollution defined the Fenholloway River in north Florida, leaving the water dark, foul-smelling, and unsafe.

Even as the river starts to recover, regulators are considering whether a Koch-owned company can once again send up to 12 million gallons of wastewater into it each day, according to The Florida Trib.

What's happening?

In January, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released a draft permit that would let Georgia-Pacific, Koch Industries' pulp and paper company, discharge treated stormwater from the former Taylor County mill site into the Fenholloway River, as the publication reported.

The mill closed in 2023, but runoff from contaminated soil, equipment, and wastewater lagoons on the property still must be treated, the Trib noted.

Until recently, the publication reported Georgia-Pacific routed that wastewater through a 15-mile pipeline to an area near the river's mouth, which kept much of the river from being affected. 

After a legal dispute, however, the company lost use of the pipeline and requested permission to resume upstream discharges, per the Trib. That proposal has sparked strong opposition from local residents.

"We shouldn't go back to where we started at and go back to polluting that river," said Taylor County Board of Commissioners Chair Jamie English during a December meeting, according to the Trib.

The county commission later unanimously approved a nonbinding resolution against the plan, per the outlet. The company defended its actions in response.

"We believe returning the discharge point to its original location is the best and most expedient alternative to allow us to complete the work we need to do to return the property to productive use with minimal delay," a Georgia-Pacific spokesperson wrote in a letter provided to the Trib.

Why does it matter?

Residents' alarm is rooted in the river's long history.

For decades, the Trib reported mill wastewater turned the Fenholloway black, polluted wells, damaged fish, and destroyed seagrass near the Gulf. Scientists eventually recorded hormonal changes in fish, and locals remembered tap water in nearby homes turning yellow and tasting like the mill smelled, according to the publication.

People in the area rely on the region for recreation, drinking water, and jobs. After most upstream dumping stopped, the river had finally begun to show signs of recovery.

"We're seeing more juvenile fish because it has become a spawning area, and we're starting to see more resident tarpon and manatees," Kenny Mullins, a fishing guide, indicated to the Trib.

For a county still trying to rebuild after losing a major employer, renewed upriver wastewater discharges could also damage tourism, fishing, and redevelopment efforts.

What's being done?

Officials with the state say the process is still ongoing and no final decision has been reached, the Trib reported.

"The department will continue to evaluate all comments received and will not issue any permit unless it meets all legal requirements and is fully protective of Florida's environment," DEP spokesperson Shannon Gore relayed to the outlet.

The Trib reported Georgia-Pacific dismissed other options like trucking treated runoff elsewhere or constructing a spray field, as too costly, too time-consuming, or impractical.

At the same time, residents and environmental advocates say they want a lasting break from the river's industrial legacy.

Tony Murray, founder and director of the Big Bend Coastal Conservancy, put it bluntly to the Trib. 

"This is our one big opportunity to reassess the past 65-plus years of environmental travesty," Murray told the outlet.

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