JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — St. Johns Riverkeeper, represented by the Public Trust for Conservation, filed a federal lawsuit against the Keystone Terminal in Jacksonville for what it says is illegal discharge of coal ash into the St. Johns River.
The groups also say the terminal, a private, 110-acre deep-water intermodal and bulk cargo facility, improperly managed ash, leading to contamination of groundwater.
“These ongoing violations continue to expose the St. Johns River and area residents to dangerous contaminants like mercury, cadmium, lead, selenium and arsenic,” the groups’ representatives said in a news release after a lawsuit was filed August 19 in U.S. District Court.
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The groups say that since 2022 that Keystone has handled more than 2 billion pounds of potentially toxic coal combustion ash at its Jacksonville facility.
They say that substantial amounts of that material have been stored in unauthorized areas that are unlined and lack adequate safeguards to protect groundwater.
“We notified Keystone more than three months ago that we would go to court if these serious violations were not sufficiently addressed,” John November, Executive Director and General Counsel of the trust said.
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