Blue Origin Wastewater, Bad Bills, and more...
- IRNA
- 5 hours ago
- 7 min read
December 6, 2025 Weekly Newsletter
Blue Origin Wastewater Permit Raises Questions
About Indian River Lagoon Protection
A proposed industrial wastewater discharge permit for Blue Origin's Merritt Island manufacturing facility has sparked environmental concerns about adding new pollution sources to the already-struggling Indian River Lagoon.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection draft permit would authorize Blue Origin to discharge up to 490,000 gallons per day of industrial wastewater into the Ransom Road Ditch, which flows directly into the lagoon. The discharge consists primarily of cooling tower blowdown (water used to dissipate heat from manufacturing operations) plus about 15,000 gallons daily from cleaning rocket parts.
The Lagoon's Precarious State
The timing of this permit has intensified scrutiny because the Indian River Lagoon is formally listed as "impaired" for nutrients and dissolved oxygen under the Clean Water Act. The estuary has lost between 58% and 96% of its seagrass coverage since 2009, triggering a cascade of ecological problems including the starvation deaths of hundreds of manatees in 2021.
The lagoon's limited circulation (water can remain in the northern lagoon for over a year) means it acts as a trap for pollutants. State Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) require basin-wide nutrient reductions from existing sources, making any additional loading from new discharges a major concern for recovery efforts.
Environmental Concerns
While cooling tower blowdown isn't sewage, it's not simply "clean water" either. The discharge contains elevated levels of dissolved solids from the evaporation process and may include biocides used to prevent biological growth in cooling systems, corrosion inhibitors, which in many industrial systems may contain phosphorus- or nitrogen-based compounds, the exact nutrients driving the algal blooms that are killing seagrass and starving manatees.
Even if individual parameters meet permit limits, environmentalists argue that adding any new nutrient load (even if technically within permit limits) undermines the lagoon’s recovery goals. Brevard County residents have approved a dedicated sales tax to fund lagoon cleanup, making the approval of new discharge sources particularly contentious.
The Volume Question
At roughly half a million gallons daily, the discharge volume equals the wastewater generated by thousands of homes. The water flows into a stormwater pond before entering the Ransom Road Ditch, potentially reducing the pond's capacity to handle actual stormwater during Florida's heavy summer rains.
The Need for Independent Verification
The permit process relies on self-reported monitoring, with Blue Origin responsible for collecting samples and submitting results to state regulators. Environmental groups are calling for independent, third-party water quality analysis to verify the actual nutrient and chemical content of the discharge before the permit is finalized.
An independent assessment would provide baseline data that's critical for a water body where every pound of phosphorus matters, and help ensure that taxpayer-funded restoration investments aren't undermined by new pollution sources.
Alternative Approaches
Critics point to alternatives like Zero Liquid Discharge systems, which recover and reuse water while eliminating liquid discharge entirely. While more expensive, such technology is used in other industries operating near sensitive waters and would avoid adding any load to the lagoon.The permit controversy highlights a broader tension: balancing our area's economic growth with protection of an ecosystem in crisis. As commercial space operations expand on Merritt Island, the cumulative environmental footprint of the industry will require careful management to avoid further degrading the lagoon that defines the region's natural heritage.
What You Can Do
We could not find a way to email comments, but if you would like to comment on the permit, write to Randall Cunningham, 3319 Maguire Blvd, Suite 232, Orlando, Florida 32803-3767.
You must include:
Your name, address, and telephone number.
The applicant's name and address: Blue Origin, LLC, 8082 Space Commerce Way, Merritt Island, Florida 32953.
The permit file number: FL0A00007-002-IW7A (Brevard County).
A sentence stating where you saw the notice (e.g., "I saw the notice on FloridaPublicNotices.com").
Comments must be received by December 18.
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This Tampa Bay Times investigation is an important read because it exposes the systemic failure at the heart of Florida's water quality crisis. This goes beyond inadequate regulations all the way to the deliberate choices by lawmakers and regulators to protect polluting industries at nearly every turn.
The investigation reveals that state officials have known for nearly half a century that nitrogen and phosphorus contamination wreaks havoc on Florida waters, yet they've built an "honor system" where developers and agricultural operations promise to control runoff but face no inspections, no individual tracking, and no real accountability. The result is clear: hundreds of waterways have grown dirtier over 25 years, including our own Indian River Lagoon where over a thousand manatees starved to death when pollution destroyed the seagrass they depend on. This is a story about political choices that prioritize industry profits over environmental protection.
What makes this investigation particularly valuable for advocates is how it documents the gap between political rhetoric and reality with hard data. The Times analyzed over four million sampling points across 25 years and found that while Governor DeSantis and state leaders tout expensive cleanup projects, the core problem (unregulated runoff from development and agriculture) continues unchecked and even worsens.
The investigation shows that regulators automatically assume compliance once developers are permitted, that critical inspection programs recommended by health officials never materialized, and that state-reported pollution reductions often don't match actual water quality trends. For those of us working on local water quality issues, this provides essential documentation of statewide patterns that mirror what we see in our communities.
At the end of the day, the political will to address pollution issues in our state simply isn't there, regardless of how much officials talk about environmental priorities. This must change.Â
Longer Brightline trains are impressive but deceptive (Vero News) - Despite the appearance of success with longer trains and modest ridership gains, Brightline faces severe financial distress from $5.5 billion in debt, steep operating losses, downgraded bonds, and erratic service decisions that have shaken investor confidence.
Earman: Stand-up guy in awkward showdown (Vero News) -Â Amid a tense budget standoff with Sheriff Eric Flowers, County Commissioner Joe Earman maintained composure and professionalism just hours after his son's arrest by the same sheriff's office, while the community was soon rocked by the tragic killing of a veteran deputy during an eviction call.
Vero storm-debris storage may trump affordable housing (Vero News) - Vero Beach may forgo using a 14-acre city-owned site for affordable housing due to its critical need as a storm-debris storage location, creating a conflict between emergency preparedness and addressing the housing crisis under the state’s Live Local Act.
John Cotugno re-elected as Vero mayor (Vero News) -Â John Cotugno was re-elected mayor of Vero Beach in a 3-2 council vote, with Taylor Dingle named vice mayor, reflecting a balance of experienced leadership and younger voices amid ongoing city projects and challenges.
Don’t greenlight this insane left-turn plan (Vero News) - A controversial site plan for a 318-unit apartment complex on Indian River Boulevard includes a left-turn exit onto a high-traffic, low-visibility stretch without a traffic signal, raising serious safety concerns that county officials are now reviewing amid calls for safer alternatives.
HB 399: A Threat to Indian River County's
Urban Service Boundary
Florida House Bill 399 poses a threat to one of Indian River County's most important growth managemnt protections: the Urban Service Boundary (USB) that shields the county from sprawl.
The relevant provision is buried in the bill's requirement for a state study. HB 399 mandates that Florida's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) analyze the "economic benefits" of removing urban development boundaries in "Miami-Dade County and other counties." That phrase "other counties" puts Indian River County squarely in the crosshairs. The study is specifically designed to question whether counties can protect our communities and natural resources without these boundaries, setting up a future argument that our USB is unnecessary regulation.
This ignores the reality of how the USB protects us. Without that hard boundary, development creeps into agricultural lands, bringing septic systems and impervious surfaces that increase nutrient-laden runoff into an already fragile estuary. Not to mention how will the county utility afford running water and sewer to all sorts of random areas of the county where development might spring up? If it doesn't it will mean more septics, which is the last thing we want! Plus traffic, police, schools, etc. will all be impacted by rabid sprawl.
The bill also strips local governments of their ability to deny projects based on compatibility if they're adjacent to existing residential development, creating a domino effect where one high-density approval automatically justifies the next potentially regardless of the USB. And it redefines "infill" to include developments up to 100 acres, which isn't filling in small empty urban lots; it's all sprawl by another name.
HB 399 is about dismantling the local control that protects our water, our quality of life, and our property values. Indian River County residents need to tell their legislators that our USB is non-negotiable.
The Senate companion bill, SB 208 does not currently contain the study of the USBs, but has many similar harmful provisions as HB 399.
Contact Information:
Sen. Erin Grall
Phone: 850-487-5025
Email: Grall.Erin.Web@flsenate.gov
Address: 3209 Virginia Avenue, Suite A149, Fort Pierce, FL 34981
Rep. Robbie Brackett
Phone: 772-778-5005
Address: Suite B2-203, 1801 27th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960
CWC helps 64 VB homeowners connect to sewer system (Indian River Guardian) -Â The Clean Water Coalition of Indian River County has helped 64 Vero Beach homeowners connect to the city's sewer system through a grant-funded program that makes costly STEP system installations affordable for working families, protecting the Indian River Lagoon from septic pollution.
Vero Council greenlights Three Corners development talks (Hometown News) -Â After six years of planning and public input, the Vero Beach City Council unanimously approved starting formal negotiations with developer Clear Path and its partner Madison Marquette on the $250 million Three Corners Recreation & Culture District, aiming to finalize a public-private agreement within 120 days.
Vero P&Z clears path for Art Museum wing rebuild (Hometown News) - Vero Beach’s Planning & Zoning Board unanimously approved the Art Museum’s plan to demolish and rebuild a wing with increased elevation for flood resilience, while adding conditions to prevent setting a citywide precedent on building height.
United Way of Indian River County launches ANCHOR to aid disaster recovery (Sebastian Daily) -Â United Way of Indian River County has launched ANCHOR, a long-term disaster recovery initiative uniting local organizations to coordinate preparedness, case management, and rebuilding efforts after hurricanes and tornadoes.
Indian River County Property Appraiser Returns $500k in Unused Funds (Sebastian Daily) - Indian River County Property Appraiser Wesley Davis returned $500,000 in unused budget funds, crediting cost-saving measures and emphasizing that the savings can support priorities like Sheriff Flowers’ proposals without increasing taxes.
