HANNAH PARK, Fla. — Crews are working to move a roughly 400-foot-long barge that’s been stuck in the Atlantic Ocean since March.
The Bridgeport was carrying coal ash from a Puerto Rico Power plant when it ran aground near the mouth of the St. Johns River near Hanna Park.
Then in May, a storm rocked the barge, causing the coal ash on board to start spilling out.
Action News Jax spoke to Jim Lawrence with MTI Network, a crisis communications network that serves the shipping industry.
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Lawrence is a spokesperson for the recovery effort, also speaking on behalf of AES, the power plant in Puerto Rico where the coal ash came from on the Bridgeport. Lawrence said crews have got the barge “refloated, safe, and stable.”
On any given day, you can find Max Allen hitting the waves at Hanna Park.
It’s his favorite spot to surf. But for three months now, he and other beachgoers have been worrying about the barge’s impact on the environment.
“I definitely think the water’s a little more murky,” he told Action News Jax. “I’ve noticed maybe just less jelly fish.”
Allen worries the ash is toxic to swimmers, marine life, and the environment.
“It’s pretty close to the best surf spot in Jax Beach,” he said.
He’s not alone. Connie Langston started a small group of local activists whose goal is to spread the word and share their concerns.
“I don’t feel like we’re getting any of the testing reports. The community who’s been swimming and surfing and breathing that for the past three months needs to know what they’re being exposed to,” Langston said.
Lawrence says he won’t speculate how much coal ash is on board the Bridgeton or how much has spilled into the water; he says he’ll know once the barge makes it to port.
Lawrence also told Action News Jax that the ash is not an environmental concern, adding that a firm known as RPI Group tested the waters around the barge. He says that report will be ready “shortly.”
“The Bridgeport’s move to port concludes a great deal of work by a large number of women and men within the Unified Command,” Lawrence said.
Langston isn’t buying it.
“It contains hazardous waste,” she said. “All sorts of nasty stuff.”
Langston will be taking matters into her own hands. She plans to hire independent groups to test the waters for toxins.
Lawrence told Action News Jax Tuesday afternoon crews were waiting for the Coast Guard’s approval to move the barge to the North Florida shipyards.
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Action News Jax also reached out to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The agency said:
“Since the initial reporting of the Bridgeport barge incident, a unified response team was formed including the responsible party (Dann Ocean Towing), United States Coast Guard (USCG), Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to provide aftermath incident oversight.
the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) describes the barge cargo material as an inert, inorganic material primarily composed of elemental oxides (silica, calcium) commonly found in dirt. It has historically been mixed with concrete and used for artificial reef material in oyster bed reconstruction projects among other applications.
DEP has required the responsible party conduct additional sampling to include the following. Divers have collected the required samples and are awaiting their results.
- Collecting bottom accumulations and nearby background sediments for total metals analysis.
- Sampling water quality in the water column above accumulations and nearby background samples for total metals analysis for comparison.
- Monitoring natural bottom communities for indications of smothering or other wildlife impacts.
Once received, these sampling results will provide DEP the additional necessary data to assess impacts from any barge cargo disposal. This data will inform the department’s determination of enforcement actions, which in addition to remedial activities may also include fines and penalties.” -- Russell Simpson, Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
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