Over the past year Sumter County residents have begged Bushnell City Council, as well as Sumter County Commissioners, to do something about the ever-growing Heart of Florida landfill and the issues that have come along with it. From noxious odors to increased traffic, lifelong residents were pleading with local leadership for help.

When we realized our local officials were not going to help, we worked to open an odor compliance case against them through the FDEP. It was during this process and our research that we discovered their plan to construct a deep well with the intent of injecting leachate deep beneath our Florida soil and water sources. For those not familiar, leachate is the water that accumulates in the cells of landfills. It’s incredibly caustic and contains dangerous chemicals.  

It was alarming, FDEP had already approved a Class V exploratory well with the intent to operate a Class I injection well in the future and the community had NO idea. When we started looking into these wells we found that Injection Wells fail often and when they do, there is next to nothing we can do to fix the issue. Once those water resources are contaminated, they are contaminated for life. This is a direct threat to not only our immediate water access but the health of our waterways and aquifers for future generations.

Currently, they are permitted by the FDEP and have drilled the Class V exploratory well to test the viability of the area. We already have FDEP data that shows the delicate, unpredictable Karst geology of this area is NOT suitable for an Injection Well. The area in question is susceptible to sink holes, making the risk for well failure too high. Surrounding counties as well as state representatives are jumping on board and writing letters of opposition to this injection well.

Please add your signature today to protect our precious water resources and preserve the natural beauty of Sumter County for future generations.