Post by L Roebuck on Mar 22, 2006 7:30:24 GMT -5
At springs meeting, worry over Wal-Mart
BY AMY REININK
SUN STAFF WRITER
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AT ISSUE HIGH SPRINGS - The focus of the meeting at the High Springs Civic Center Tuesday night was the health of the area's springs and water supply.
But a proposal to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Alachua took center stage in the minds of many of the roughly 75 residents, cave divers, activists and elected officials who packed the auditorium for the meeting, hosted by the Santa Fe Springs Basin Working Group.
Wal-Mart recently applied for an environmental resource permit with the Suwannee River Water Management District in connection with a proposal to build a supercenter at U.S. 441 and Interstate 75 in Alachua, located just south of High Springs in northwestern Alachua County.
The permit governs stormwater management and impacts to wetlands, and some who attended the meeting Tuesday said the district should consider northwestern Alachua County's porous, sinkhole-prone landscape when considering the application.
"At least one of the reasons I'm here is because I have concerns about what's happening in a city close to here," said High Springs Commissioner Kirk Eppenstein. "I think it's time that as a city commissioner, I take a stand and express my concerns about the safety of the drinking water in our area. I am going to make a public statement as a High Springs city commissioner to the Suwannee River Water Management District about my concerns."
Peter Butt of Karst Environmental Services presented results from a study at Mill Creek Sink, which borders U.S. 441 in Alachua and is close to the site of the proposed supercenter.
The study Butt conducted for Alachua County found that it took only 12-15 days for dye in the Mill Creek Sink to turn up about six miles away at Hornsby Spring, which feeds the Santa Fe River, Butt said.
Cindy Butler, a local cave-diving guide, told the audience she worried that a supercenter could harm the fragile cave system she said lies below the sinkhole or pollute the area's water.
"If you think about runoff from the parking lot and the gas station, you've got to worry about all that runoff going into this sinkhole, which goes right to Hornsby Spring," Butler said.
Earlier this week, Wal-Mart spokesman Eric Brewer said Wal-Mart hopes to acquire all necessary traffic and environmental permits for the supercenter by the end of this year.
Wal-Mart officials have said Mill Creek Sink is about 1,200 feet from the lot slated for a supercenter, and that the company is working to design an appropriate stormwater management system for the site.
Amy Reinink can be reached at 352-374-5088 or reinina@gvillesun.com.
www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060322/LOCAL/203220347/1078/news
BY AMY REININK
SUN STAFF WRITER
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AT ISSUE HIGH SPRINGS - The focus of the meeting at the High Springs Civic Center Tuesday night was the health of the area's springs and water supply.
But a proposal to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Alachua took center stage in the minds of many of the roughly 75 residents, cave divers, activists and elected officials who packed the auditorium for the meeting, hosted by the Santa Fe Springs Basin Working Group.
Wal-Mart recently applied for an environmental resource permit with the Suwannee River Water Management District in connection with a proposal to build a supercenter at U.S. 441 and Interstate 75 in Alachua, located just south of High Springs in northwestern Alachua County.
The permit governs stormwater management and impacts to wetlands, and some who attended the meeting Tuesday said the district should consider northwestern Alachua County's porous, sinkhole-prone landscape when considering the application.
"At least one of the reasons I'm here is because I have concerns about what's happening in a city close to here," said High Springs Commissioner Kirk Eppenstein. "I think it's time that as a city commissioner, I take a stand and express my concerns about the safety of the drinking water in our area. I am going to make a public statement as a High Springs city commissioner to the Suwannee River Water Management District about my concerns."
Peter Butt of Karst Environmental Services presented results from a study at Mill Creek Sink, which borders U.S. 441 in Alachua and is close to the site of the proposed supercenter.
The study Butt conducted for Alachua County found that it took only 12-15 days for dye in the Mill Creek Sink to turn up about six miles away at Hornsby Spring, which feeds the Santa Fe River, Butt said.
Cindy Butler, a local cave-diving guide, told the audience she worried that a supercenter could harm the fragile cave system she said lies below the sinkhole or pollute the area's water.
"If you think about runoff from the parking lot and the gas station, you've got to worry about all that runoff going into this sinkhole, which goes right to Hornsby Spring," Butler said.
Earlier this week, Wal-Mart spokesman Eric Brewer said Wal-Mart hopes to acquire all necessary traffic and environmental permits for the supercenter by the end of this year.
Wal-Mart officials have said Mill Creek Sink is about 1,200 feet from the lot slated for a supercenter, and that the company is working to design an appropriate stormwater management system for the site.
Amy Reinink can be reached at 352-374-5088 or reinina@gvillesun.com.
www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060322/LOCAL/203220347/1078/news