Mining company can't tap water needed for Okefenokee wildlife refuge, US says
Mining company can't tap water needed for Okefenokee wildlife refuge, US says
A federal agency is asserting legal rights to waters that feed the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge, setting up a new battle with a mining company seeking permits to withdraw more than 1.4 million gallons per day.
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tells Georgia state regulators that federal law prohibits diverting water from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in quantities that would harm its function as a protective habitat for native animal and plant species.
“Disruption to the natural flow of groundwater in this interconnected system could have far-reaching consequences for both the Refuge and surrounding areas,” Mike Oetker, the federal agency’s acting Southeast regional director, wrote in a Jan. 31 letter to Georgia regulators. He added: “Any decision regarding the proposed mining permit must be made with consideration of federal reserved water rights.”
Twin Pines Minerals is on the cusp of obtaining permits it has sought since 2019 to mine titanium dioxide less than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from the southeastern boundary of the Okefenokee refuge, the largest U.S. refuge east of the Mississippi River.
It will be tapped by municipal governments eventually. Out of necessity.
According to Colorado State University research, nearly half of the 204 freshwater basins they studied in the United States may not be able to meet the monthly water demand by 2071.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/parts-america-water-crisis/story?id=98484121
Georgia isn't all that bad yet. Neighboring Florida, however? They'll be draining the Everglades and not too far from now.
Water use efficiency is going to be a huge deal as we continue to grow.
We are double dipping with climate change and endless population growth
Florida draining it's aquifers is an interesting issue. They either get replentished by the occasional hurricane, or they will relent to the pressure of sea water. ..