6/17/23, 7:44 AM Gmail - Erosion Control Oversight Culebra

CORALations Culebra <coralations@gmail.com>

Erosion Control Oversight Culebra

1 message

CORALations Culebra <coralations@gmail.com> Thu, Jun 15, 2023 at 12:03 PM

To: Carmen Pérez <carmenguerrero@gmail.com>, Brenda Reyes <reyes.brenda@epa.gov>, Ruperto Chaparro
<ruperto.chaparro@upr.edu>, Ariel Lugo <aelugo1234@gmail.com>, Edwin Hernandez-Delgado
<edwin.hernandezdelgado@gmail.com>, culebra.reserva.natural@gmail.com, Lourdes Feliciano
<culebramarine2@gmail.com>, Nicolás Gómez <nicolas.x.gomez@gmail.com>, Digna feliciano
<dignafeliciano42@gmail.com>, "alfredo.a.montanez@gmail.com" <alfredo.a.montanez@gmail.com>, Felix Lopez
<felix_lopez@fws.gov>, Silmarie Padron <Silmarie_Padron@fws.gov>, Idelmaris Tillman Márquez
<Idalmaris_Tillmanmarquez@fws.gov>
Bcc: jorgeculebra@yahoo.com, laurie_kath_92@hotmail.com

Dear Ms Guerrero:

I am writing because for the past few years we have been pointing out environmental concerns resulting in cumulative
impacts that the latest science indicates are affecting the health of Culebra's coral reefs.  The critical habitat is being
adversely modified by these cumulative impacts. EPA's ECHO rarely works, and when it appears to have take  a
complaint we rarely get the receipt email.

EPA does not generate complaint numbers for receipt of a concern, or for future tracking or followup.

Why doesnt the EPA respond to the NPDES storm water discharge concerns we have presented, or are actions being
taken that we are not informed of? Two months ago Caribbean EPA enforcement called and said they were preparing an
action. No action has been taken since 2008, and that based on a September 11 2007 site visit.

Specific to Culebra, all of which is coastal zone, many concerns regarding failures to implement basic erosion control, or
failures to propertly implement a little erosion control, or as in the huge airport project, failure to implement erosion control
where it would actually be needed to protect coastal water quality,  continue to be a problem and in many sensitive areas.

The illegal deforesation and cosntruction of dirt roads, perpendicular to shores continues-

The piling of loose fill with no erosion controls around them, continues.  This  includes crushed pavement and its
assocated PAH's, sometimes sold to and compressed near houses,  where the people are not aware of the associated
carcinogens. Contractors face no ramifications- ever, and their impacts are increasingly reckless.

Loose fill and rubble is often piled directly in the centers of powerful watershed with some ephemeral river fills getting
much worse today in that respect.  It could possibly be getting worse because we posted the reporting actions that we
have taken and then those destroying or impacting Culebra then see there are no repercussions from the agencies- so
they escalate the destruction.  Your regulatory division's failures to take meaningful action to protect Culebra from NPDES
violations, may be turning local defenders into clowns, and instills confidence in those destroying the island that there is
today no down side associated with the short term gains that can be whickly garnished from illegal coastal destruction. 

Realy powerful ephemeral river beds have now been turned into clandestine dumps.

Even work at the Culebra dump to bring this area into compliance with an EPA administration order has no implimentation
of erosion control.   I would think that there is direct and meaningful EPA oversight on that project, anyway.

Local workers have been mining boulder forest rocks for sale and construction uses.

While we appreciate the interagency meetings, nothing agreed upon appears to have been respected by Planning Board
or OGPE, as we see the continued issuance of fast track categorical exclusions for large coastal projects, often with no
reference or clarity as to what the project even is, available in the Planning Board's permit summaries online.

Specifically, what can we do better to get enforcement from EPA here to see the dust bowl that is Culebra today and to
grasp what this means for coastal waters,  and what is left of the living coral reefs when the rains return -  if EPA fails to
take actions soon.

We still await a copy of the sewer plan requested a few months ago as well and EPA still has not confirmed a number for
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6/17/23, 7:44 AM Gmail - Erosion Control Oversight Culebra
reporting the local street spills too.

We need this for the educational campaign.

Thank you for any guidance as to what we could be doing better here on our citizen end regarding the reporting.

Thank you,

Mary Ann Lucking

Director
CORALations
PO Box 750
Culebra, PR  00775
coralations@gmail.com
787.390.3133

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