*An earlier version of this story said that the pipeline would go from Taylor County to Wakulla County. The pipeline will only be in Taylor County.
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- Commissioners from two north Florida counties are working together to stop a controversial pipeline from being built. They claim it would pour toxic waste into the Gulf of Mexico.
Joy Towles Ezell is a sixth-generation Taylor County resident. She says the Fenholloway River had been safe and clean for years -- prior to the Foley Cellulose Mill.
"Before that, we had been swimming in the river," she said. "It was crystal clear. The boys dove for pennies in the river. It was that clear."
But since the mill was built, Towles Ezell says the river hasn't been the same -- springs have dried up and dead fish have been spotted floating in millions of gallons of toxic waste called "effluent."
"The Fenholloway -- it's my river, and when I finally became grown, I decided that I had to do something to help clean it up," she said. "It was my duty."
She's not alone. Tuesday, Wakulla County commissioner Howard Kessler and Leon County commission chair Bill Proctor said they worry about the river, too.
"We boat there. We recreate there," Proctor said. "That's very important, so there is a stake in what happens in keeping this area habitable, desirable."
The mill, operated by Georgia-Pacific, is trying to build a pipeline in Taylor County where it can dispose of the effluent.
"If you allow that pipe to just take its effluent now and put it to the gulf, we're going to be hurting our environment, our economy," Kessler said.
Kessler and Proctor wrote a letter to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, urging him to encourage the Army Corps of Engineers to deny Georgia-Pacific its permit.
The commissioners are also calling for an immediate shutdown of the Foley plant and requesting a comprehensive marine impact study.
"Georgia-Pacific is one of the worst polluters in the state of Florida," Proctor said. "They have a track record that is long and very clear -- that they do not care about the environment."
Towles Ezell says the pipeline would harm thousands in the area -- if the plan goes through.
"My feelings are for the river," she said. "They're for the Gulf of Mexico. They're for my neighbors in Wakulla County and Leon County and Jefferson County -- and all the counties that touch the Gulf of Mexico. Everybody who owns property there or fishes or scallops or gathers oysters or grows oysters is going to be affected by this pipe if they build it."
Kessler says a public meeting about the pipeline will be held Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Wakulla Springs Lodge for anyone interested in sharing concerns about the plan.
Senator Nelson's office has confirmed it has received the commissioners' letter and is currently reviewing it.
Georgia-Pacific provided WTXL with the following statement:
"The administrative order requires Foley Cellulose to commence construction of the pipeline by March 6, 2019, after completing significant improvements to the effluent treatment system. Over $100 million in mill process improvements have already resulted in significant water quality improvements in the Fenholloway River.
Foley Cellulose will complete significant improvements to the effluent treatment system by March 6, 2019, and then relocate the treated effluent away from the fresh water portion of the Fenholloway river to the tidal portion of the river at mile marker 1.5 by March 6, 2021 at a cost of $70-$100 million. The primary reason for relocating the discharge to the tidal portion of the river is to address the salt content of the treated effluent. Salinity will not pose a concern at the relocation point because the salt content of the treated effluent is less than that of the brackish water in the lower reaches of the river. Upon completion of complete project, the entire Fenholloway river system will meet Class III standards, acceptable for recreational use.
Georgia-Pacific and its Foley Cellulose mill are committed to meeting clean water standards, and improving and protecting the quality of the Fenholloway River."
