Brevard County residents speak against Blue Origin wastewater dump permit

Residents speak against Blue Origin waste water dump permit

Many fired up Brevard County residents attended the Dec. 2 county commissioner's meeting to speak out against the permit allowing aerospace company Blue Origin from dumping waste water into the Indian River Lagoon. Ultimately, the decision is not up to the commissioners, but the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Several Brevard County residents were fired up Tuesday night as they spoke against a Blue Origin permit that would allow the rocket company to dump wastewater into the Indian River. 

What we know:

Brevard County commissioners hosted a public comment session, in which several residents spoke up against Blue Origin's permit renewal. According to a letter to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Blue Origin will dump half a million gallons of waste water per day – some of which will be processed, but most is not. 

"I’m fighting for my home, as should all of you," one resident said. 

"This is our water. This is our environment," said another resident. 

The backstory:

Blue Origin, an aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000, is seeking a permit to dump millions of gallons of processed and non-processed waste water into the Indian River, a letter to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said. 

In the draft proposal sent to the state, Blue Origin is asking for a permit to: "discharge 0.467 MGD of process wastewater and discharge 0.015 MGD (millions of gallons per day) of non-process wastewater to a large onsite stormwater pond (402,981 square feet surface area) then to the Indian River."

Some of the water would be treated in a stormwater pond before being released but not all of it.

Who decides on the permit? 

The county commission does not have the final say on whether the permit is granted. It's up to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. 

However, the county said it can ask the state's DEP to hold its own public meeting. 

Florida's Indian River Lagoon

Blue Origin ‘failed to collect samples’

A consent order the state's DEP claims Blue Origin failed to collect samples required by the permit – failing to follow the facility's best management practices in conducting monthly facility inspections. 

The state's letter said Blue Origin addressed the violations, but would be fined anyway – a total of $5,450. 

A permit renewal

Blue Origin said this current permit ask is to renew an already existing permit. In fact, Blue Origin has been dumping processed and non-processed waste water into the Indian River for nearly half a decade so far. 

It's not known how much wastewater has been released into the Indian River to date. 

Who is Blue Origin? 

Blue Origin, an aerospace company started by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos, was created in 2000. Blue Origin has two launch sites: a ranch site in Blue Horn, TX and at Cape Canveral Space Force Station in Florida where the company launches its large reusable rocket, New Glenn. 

Blue Origin most recently launched New Glenn in its second mission on Nov. 13 – carrying NASA's Escapade spacecraft and Viasat technology en route to Mars. 

Blue Origin's website said New Glenn operates like a commercial airliner, but with cleaner fuel, saying New Glenn will lead to significantly less waste and cost.

The other side:

Blue Origin sent a response to FOX 35 on Dec. 1 when asked about the public concerns:

"This is a renewal of an existing agreement that has been in place for more than five years. We are committed to maintaining responsible and compliant operations."

What we don't know:

Residents can mail concerns in writing by December 18.