St. Johns Riverkeeper intends to sue over dredging

River advocacy organization notifies Army Corps of Engineers of intent to sue

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The St. Johns Riverkeeper on Tuesday filed a notice of intent to sue the Army Corps of Engineers over the proposed St. Johns River harbor-deepening project.

In April 2014, the Corps issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement for the JaxPort proposal to dredge 13 miles of the St. Johns River from a depth of 40 feet to 47 feet, finding the plan to be "economically justified" and "environmentally acceptable."

The Riverkeeper said it intends to challenge the Corps, citing 1) a failure to provide appropriate in-kind mitigation for the environmental damage that will result from the dredging, 2) insufficient assessment of the environmental impacts, 3) violations of the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act, and 4) a flawed economic assessment.

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"We can't afford to roll the dice with the future of our river. Once the damage is done, there is no turning back. We simply cannot afford to get this decision wrong," St. Johns Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman said.

Rinaman outlined specific concerns, saying the mitigation plan is woefully inadequate, failing to offset the damage that will be incurred from dredging, adding that the dredging will cause salt water to move farther upstream, destroying wetlands, submerged grasses and trees that provide critical habitat for fisheries and pollution filters for the river.

The nonprofit group also claims that the proposed mitigation is limited with no net benefit to the St. Johns River and would consist most of monitoring. 

"Monitoring is a standard permit condition and not a substitute for true compensatory mitigation," Rinaman said.

The group says the Corps analysis is flawed and incomplete, significantly underestimating the potential threats to the health of the St. Johns River and the report underestimates the impact from the blasting of bedrock and sedimentation from dredging to several endangered species, including manatees, shortnose sturgeon, North Atlantic right whales and sea turtles.

"Regrettably, the Army Corps of Engineers has underestimated the environmental impacts, overstated the economic benefits, and done nothing to offset the damage that will occur, leaving us with no choice but to challenge this project," Rinaman said.