Need to return call by / at/between and . Signature: 

 Project No.: 0172.08.005.607 Page 1 of 2 

 Project Name: 2011 Prelim Cat Rev CBI? 

 Yes 

 No 

TELEPHONE CALL RECORD 

 Incoming 

 Outgoing 

Date: 08/26/2011 Time: 2:00 am 

 pm 

Company Name: FL DEP ERG Staff Name: Elizabeth Sabol 

Contact Name: Jacquelyn Champion Contact Phone Number: 813-632-7600 X133 

General Subject: 2009 DMR Fluoride Discharges 

TOPICS DISCUSSED AND ACTION TAKEN 

I called Mr. Chupka on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 to discuss fluoride discharges from phosphate mines in 

Florida. Mr. Chupka stated that I should e-mail the FL DEP Phosphate Management Permit Manager and 

Program Administrator to request the data that I was looking for. Please see the following e-mail below: 

From: Elizabeth Sabol 

To: robert.vanderslice@dep.state.fl.us; vishwas.sathe@dep.state.fl.us 

CC: Codding, Eleanor; swietlik.william@epa.gov 

Date: 8/25/2011 2:11 PM 

Subject: Phosphate Mines FL - Fluoride Discharges 

Mr. Sathe/Mr. Vanderslice, 

 

My name is Elizabeth Sabol from Eastern Research Group, Inc. under EPA under Contract No. 68-C-02-095, supporting EPA's 2011 Industrial Category 

Annual Review process. I am writing to request clarification of DMR discharge data for three phosphate mines in Florida: Mosaic Fertilizer LLC Fort 

Green and Four Corners facilities and Cargill Fertilizers South Fort Meade facility. I've recently been in touch with Mr. Andrew Chupka regarding 

wastewater discharges (specifically fluoride) from three phosphate mines in Florida. He stated that my data request and questions would be more 

appropriate for you. Please find some background below. 

 

EPA reviews DMR data to fulfill its review obligation under Section 304(b) of the Clean Water Act. The CWA requires EPA to annually review and, if 

appropriate, revise its water pollution control technology-based regulations, called “effluent limitations guidelines” or "effluent guidelines,” that limit the 

discharge of pollutants to waters of the U.S. from various categories of industrial facilities. EPA is currently conducting its 2011 annual review of 

existing effluent guidelines and potential industrial guidelines which may need to be included (see 

http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/304m/ for further information). EPA will discuss this review and the results in its 2011 Effluent 

Guidelines Program Plan scheduled for publication in the Federal Register in 2011. 

 

As part of the 2011 annual review, EPA is evaluating the 2009 DMR data and needs further information to complete the review. Specifically, we would 

like to determine if we are appropriately estimating discharge flows from the three mines listed above (NPDES IDs: FL0027600, FL0036412, 

FL0037958). Currently we assume the facilities discharge wastewater for all months out of the year. Mr. Chupka indicated that these facilities only 

discharge during the winter months and that the facilities provide five years of daily discharge data as part of the permit renewal process. In order to 

come up with a better estimation of flow for our databases, we are requesting the most recent flow data available for these facilities. 

 

Additionally, from the facility permits, we are aware that the fluoride permit limits are based on the Florida Water Quality Standard (10 mg/L). Have 

there been any studies or data that suggest fluoride discharges from the phosphate mines in Florida affect water quality, human health, or aquatic life? 

Are there any studies being done on treatment technologies that can further reduce fluoride discharges from these mines? 

 

We appreciate your help in interpreting DMR data correctly. If you have any questions regarding this request, please call me at (703) 633-1659. If you 

would like to speak directly with EPA regarding this request, you can contact William F. Swietlik of EPA's Office of Water/Engineering Analysis Division by 

phone at (202) 566-1129 or by email: swietlik.william@epa.gov. 

 

Thank you, 

Elizabeth 

Environmental Engineer 

Eastern Research Group, Inc. 

14555 Avion Parkway, Suite 200 

Chantilly, VA 20151 

elizabeth.sabol@erg.com 

Phone:703-633-1659 
Need to return call by / at/between and . Signature: 

On August 26, 2011, Jacquelyn Champion returned my call to discuss the information that I requested in the email above. She stated that the fluoride permit limitations were set over ten years ago and that fluoride limits 

will not be included in the most recent tri annual review. She stated that FL DEP will likely not review fluoride 

discharges because facilities usually are under the 10 mg/L permit limit by a significant amount (average 

concentrations are about 3 mg/L). Ms. Champion also stated that FL DEP is not investigating any new treatment 

options because they facilities are not exceeding limits. 

Ms. Champion described the phosphate mines as massive land areas with outfalls that are mine and rainfall 

dependent. She stated that it would difficult to estimate the actual discharge area because the mine sites are 

constantly changing.