In 2015, the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) purchased 2,014 Acres from Rayonier Atlantic Timber Company. The rationale used to purchase the tract of land is for “sustaining flows to Santa Fe River in support of the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers and Priority Springs MFLs, enhancing wetlands and providing additional surface-water storage, providing flood abatement to county residents and providing aquifer recharge.” Memorandum, Surface-Use Lease Agreement with Chemours Company 2015.
In this transaction, the mineral rights were leased to Chemours, a titanium mining operation that has been strip mining along the Trail Ridge since the late 1950’s. They strip mine by removing the land of all vegetation and topsoil down to 20′ to extract the rare earth minerals used to make titanium.
You can see in this Google Earth image how strip mining bares the earth; no plant roots to hold back surface run-off. This image was used to display the most recent waste-water spill of 230,000 gallons in February of this year.
In April 2023, another wastewater spill released high levels of Radium. Radium presents health risks, including an increased risk of cancer and bone-related diseases. Is this the kind of aquifer recharge the Suwannee River Water Management can offer on our wetlands? Radium binds with humate, the organic material found in soils. Will the ‘reclaimed’ soils have high levels of radium, increasing health risks?
Here are images of a couple of cells of the Trail Ridge South.
Is this the best use of our public lands? In what way does mining improve wetlands? Can wetlands be restored after strip mining?
Wetlands are critical for aquifer recharge and flood mitigation. Prohibiting the mining of wetlands is the only way to protect our groundwater.
We will request a Public Hearing and you can too by submitting an email by June 12, 2025 to John Fellows at john.p.fellows@usace.army.mil
For subject line: “Public Comment on Chemours Titanium Mine – Request for Public Hearing for Permit Application (SAJ-2019-00480)”
For more information:
Chemours Trail Ridge South, WWALS, https://wwals.net/?s=Chemours+Trail+Ridge+South+, accessed online 6/4/25
Chemours wants Army Corps permit to mine TiO2 on SRWMD land, Bradford County, FL, Santa Fe River Basin 2025-05-13, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®, https://osfr.org/help-needed-to-stop-chemours-and-twin-pines/, Accessed online 6-4-25
Memorandum, Carlos D. Herd, P.G., Interim Executive Director, September 28, 2015,
RE: Surface-Use Lease Agreement with Chemours Company TT, LLC,
Rayonier Atlantic Timber Company South Tract in Bradford County, Florida
There’s a ridge in Northeast Florida that’s taller than the Dames Point Bridge, Mark Collins, 11/7/24, https://www.news4jax.com/weather/2024/11/07/theres-a-ridge-in-northeast-florida-thats-taller-than-the-dames-point-bridge-heres-how-it-came-to-be/, Accessed online 6-4-25
Wastewater Spill near the Santa Fe Swamp, https://osfr.org/wastewater-spill-near-the-santa-fe-swamp/, Accessed online 6-4-25
OSFR Director, Joanne Tremblay
joanne.tremblay@oursantaferiver.org
“Giving Our River A Voice”
