Lakeland challenges approval of a Duke Energy project

Share
Duke Energy
Duke Energy St. Petersburg offices. By Seán Kinane / WMNF News (25 Oct. 2016).

Pointing to concerns about its water supply, Lakeland is challenging a decision by the state Department of Environmental Protection to approve a permit for a new Duke Energy Florida high-voltage power line in Polk County.

The challenge, filed Thursday at the state Division of Administrative Hearings, alleges that the project could damage a city wellfield that plays a key role in Lakeland’s water supply.

The project would cross the Northeast Wellfield and include such work as driving power poles into the ground and building an access road, according to the city’s petition for an administrative hearing.

“Due to a number of complex factors … no reasonably achievable or economically feasible replacement of the city’s permitted water supply is available,” the petition said. “Thus, the destruction of the NEWF (Northeast Wellfield) or the elimination or restriction of the permitted and authorized water supply of the City of Lakeland would be a public disaster equal to or worse than that caused by a major hurricane or other natural disaster.”

The Department of Environmental Protection approved the Duke permit in November. The petition raises a series of arguments, including that the city did not properly receive notice about the permit application and the state’s intent to issue the permit.

©2023 The News Service of Florida

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

You may also like

student meal
Next school year Hillsborough public schools are offering free meals

Hillsborough Public Schools are offering students free meals for the...

Correspondence Through Poetry. A Mind-Numbing Week.

Father Verses Sons: A Correspondence in Poems by Herbert Gold...

The sound of change: Music’s influence on anti-war and human rights movements

Throughout history, music has served as a powerful catalyst for...

a man in a tye dye shirt talking on a radio microphone
Recreational pot for Florida is on the ballot this fall—let’s talk about it

In four months, Florida voters have the opportunity to vote...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

Follow us on Instagram

Sloughbirn
Player position: