Central Alabama mine proposal would threaten Lake Mitchell and Weogufka Creek without adequate environmental review

COOSA COUNTY, Ala. – Only five days remain to submit public comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about a graphite mine that would threaten Lake Mitchell and surrounding landscapes, including the Pinhoti Trail, Coosa Wildlife Management Area, and Weogufka Creek. Conservation groups say more environmental review and public outreach is necessary before the project is allowed to move forward. The last day for the public to submit comments is July 26.

“This mine would be massive, destructive, and permanently alter the character of Coosa County,” said Justinn Overton, Coosa Riverkeeper who is also a Coosa County resident. “Coosa County residents and folks who love Lake Mitchell, Coosa WMA, and the surrounding areas deserve a robust review of this proposed mine before it’s allowed to move forward. It’s too great of a risk for our woods, water, and way of life in Coosa County.”

Colorado-based Westwater Resources’ proposed open pit mine would scour more than 1,100 acres of forest next door to these wonders in Coosa County by blasting and digging for graphite at the site for at least 20 years. Mine blasting and forest destruction would harm landscapes, destroy streams, and disturb wildlife. This type of mine would also store on site acid generating waste with a history of contaminating ground and surface water.

Click here for a map of the proposed mine, as well as Westwater’s mineral rights in the region. 

“This project would have an incredible impact on a really sensitive part of our state and threaten what makes Alabama’s natural heritage so special,” said Sarah Stokes, a senior attorney in the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Alabama office. “We’re asking the Army Corps to take a hard look at this project because Alabama’s citizens have a right to understand the harm this project could cause.”

Coosa Riverkeeper and the Southern Environmental Law Center are asking the Corps for more public engagement around the project including public hearings for local communities. The groups are also asking for a robust environmental review of the project, called an Environmental Impact Statement, because of the proposed mine’s sensitive location. The mine would be adjacent to beloved hunting lands in the Coosa Wildlife Management Area and the area is home to several federally protected species including bats and aquatic species including the blue shiner.