The environmental group Suncoast Waterkeeper says it intends to sue a concrete recycling plant for polluting Sarasota Bay.
It claims U.S. Recycling Company is letting pollutants run off during heavy rains into Hog Creek, which flows into the bay.
It says the company — which recycles concrete by crushing it — is violating the federal Clean Water Act. The group claims it found elevated levels of pollutants such as aluminum and iron exceeding federal guidelines for industrial facilities. These pollutants can harm fish and wildlife and degrade water quality.
"We've seen water flow off the site into the drainage area along industrial Court, which is a city street that was rebuilt by the city a few years ago and has stormwater detention built into the design of that street," said Justin Bloom, co-chair of the waterkeeper chapter. "And that stormwater detention is collecting the runoff from U.S. Recycling, which we've measured very high in pollutants."
Bloom says neighbors have complained about the runoff as well as noise and air pollution from trucks going in and out. But he says this legal action focuses only on water pollution from stormwater. He says they're trying to get the company to fix the runoff before filing suit in federal court.
"And so our goal is to get them to come into compliance with their permit to follow the law. And to do that, they likely will need to install fixes on their site," he said.
Bloom says one of those fixes could be redirecting water flow from the property. That way, it could be captured and treated before being released.
He said they've already put down small speed bumps at the plant's entrance, which would shake out a lot of the pollutants that would otherwise fall off their trucks onto the street.
Hog Creek is already listed by the state as an impaired water body. It ultimately flows into Sarasota Bay, designated as an Outstanding Florida Water for its ecological and recreational qualities.
