On November 18, 2025, Blue Origin filed a request to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to allow water discharges into the Indian River Lagoon, an environmentally sensitive area that is in a poor state after years of being polluted by industrial, governmental and even domestic sources.
Much has been made of this request in social media, but it seems like very few people have actually read the documents to see what is being asked.
That document is below, along with a factual summary of the information contained inside.
The Notification
DEP issued a Notice of Draft Permit (published Nov. 18, 2025) for Blue Origin to operate an industrial wastewater treatment facility at its Blue Origin OLS Manufacturing Complex located on Space Commerce Way on Merritt Island.
The draft permit (file FL0A00007-002-IW7A) would authorize up to 0.49 million gallons per day (MGD) of treatment, with planned discharges of 0.467 MGD of process wastewater and 0.015 MGD of non-process wastewater into a large onsite stormwater pond (about 402,981 sq ft), which then flows to the Indian River.
The Document
Wastewater Summary
The DEP document summarizes the wastewater treatment as:
Blue Origin’s site uses a centralized purified-water system to support component testing and cleaning operations across multiple buildings. Soft water from Building A is further treated in Building D’s Water Room using carbon filtration and reverse osmosis, then pumped to points of use in Buildings D, B, and G.
After use (mainly for tank proofing and rinsing), wastewater from Buildings D and G is routed back to Building D’s discharge manifold and then to the storm sewer system and an onsite stormwater pond; Building G returns via a dedicated wet well/pump system, while Building B has no return flow path.
The project proposes adding a continuous flow meter and an integrated, flow-proportional sampler (IW-1) at Building D’s discharge manifold to continuously measure discharge and collect representative samples before the water reaches the retention pond and ultimately the Ransom Road Ditch.
A major intermittent discharge source is periodic carbon-filter rinsing, storage tank dumps, and line purges done for preventative maintenance to reduce bacterial growth—also routed through IW-1.
Separately, Building A’s chiller plant cooling towers periodically “blow down” mineral-laden water to control solids buildup from evaporation. That cooling-tower blowdown would be discharged for surface-water disposal (IW-2) to the retention pond and then to the outfall toward the Ransom Road Ditch, rather than to the sanitary sewer.
The facility would discharge treated/conditioned wastewater to an existing large onsite retention pond (about 402,981 square feet) to provide dilution before the water ultimately flows to the Ransom Road Ditch, classified as Class II waters.
D-001 (existing outfall): permitted for up to 0.467 MGD daily maximum flow; the ditch segment described is about 48 feet long, with discharge at approximately 0 feet depth; location near 28°30’42″N, 80°40’51″W.
D-002 (new outfall): permitted for up to 0.015 MGD daily maximum flow; the ditch segment described is about 4 feet long, also discharging at approximately 0 feet depth; location near 28°30’36″N, 80°40’42″W.
Paraphrasal of FL0A00007-002-IW7A
Also contained in the document are prohibitions:
| The discharge shall not contain components that, alone or in combination with other substances or in combination with other components of the discharge: | |
|---|---|
| Item | Prohibited Condition |
| a. | Settle to form putrescent deposits or otherwise create a nuisance |
| b. | Float as debris, scum, oil, or other matter in such amounts as to form nuisances |
| c. | Produce color, odor, taste, turbidity, or other conditions in such degree as to create a nuisance |
| d. | Are acutely toxic |
| e. | Are present in concentrations which are carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic to human beings or to significant, locally occurring, wildlife or aquatic species, unless specific standards are established for such components in subsection 62-302.500(2) or Rule 62-302.530, F.A.C. |
| f. | Pose a serious danger to the public health, safety, or welfare |
| Reference: Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) | |
Limitations and Monitoring
The document calls for the following limits and monitoring activities:
| Parameter | Units | Effluent Limitations | Monitoring Requirements | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max./Min. | Limit | Statistical Basis | Frequency of Analysis | Sample Type | ||
| Flow | MGD | Max Max |
0.49 Report |
Daily Maximum Annual Average |
Daily, when discharging | Meter |
| pH | s.u. | Min Max |
6 9 |
Monthly Average Monthly Average |
Daily, when discharging | Grab |
| Oil and Grease | mg/L | Max | 5.0 | Daily Maximum | Daily, when discharging | 8-hr FPC |
| Nitrogen, Total | mg/L | Max | 3.0 | Annual Average | Quarterly | 8-hr FPC |
| Phosphorus, Total (as P) | mg/L | Max | 1.0 | Annual Average | Quarterly | 8-hr FPC |
| Units: MGD = Million Gallons per Day | s.u. = Standard Units (pH scale) | mg/L = Milligrams per Liter | 8-hr FPC = 8-Hour Flow Proportional Composite | ||||||
Public Input
DEP says it intends to issue the permit unless public comments lead to changes. The application and supporting materials can be reviewed at DEP’s Central District Office in Orlando during business hours.
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Anyone interested may submit written comments or request a public meeting (with specific required information) to the DEP contact listed in the notice. For most people, the deadline to comment or request a meeting is within 30 days of publication (i.e., Dec. 18, 2025,
30 days from Nov. 18, 2025), and if a public meeting is held, the comment period runs until the meeting closes.
Author: Charles Boyer
NASA kid from Cocoa Beach, FL, born of Project Apollo parents and family. I’m a writer and photographer sharing the story of spaceflight from the Eastern Range here in Florida.
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