Residents continue fight against Port of Gulfport project in Gulfport neighborhood, now appealing MDEQ permit

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - The Port of Gulfport has plans to place a military storage station in one North Gulfport neighborhood, but residents have pushed back against the project for years; now, they are looking to appeal the water quality certification issued by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) that would allow this project to happen.

At 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, members of EECHO (Education, Economics, Environmental, Climate and Health Organization) will travel to the Mississippi Court of Appeals in Jackson to appeal the certification issued by the MDEQ Permit Board, saying it contains legal deficiencies and harmful effects.

EECHO members have endured a years-long battle to protect and preserve Turkey Creek, a historic Black neighborhood in North Gulfport.

The Port plans to build an ammunition storage facility near 33rd Street and 34th Avenue, but members of EECHO believe the placement of the building in the neighborhood could only cause harm.

They argue the project would increase flooding, risk toxic exposure from a contaminated groundwater site, and store dangerous and potentially explosive military equipment near a residential community.

“We don’t want the Port to put this in our community. We think we deserve better,” said John Johnson, a member of EECHO.

“We’ve tried talking with them. We’ve attended lots of meetings that they had down at the Port. They don’t hear us, they don’t listen,” said Ruth Story, another member of the group.

Johnson plans to join the three-hour trek to the capitol Wednesday.

“There are railroads tracks next to this place. It’s a holding station that the railroad uses,” Johnson said. “They have chemical tanks all parked out there. That’s adverse to the community. It’s been there for a long time.”

The military storage project isn’t the first time Turkey Creek residents have fought to keep an industrial project out of their neighborhood. Following Hurricane Katrina, the storm scattered the Port of Gulfport’s chicken freezers across Highway 90. The Port proposed to move the freezers to the Turkey Creek community, but homeowners fought and won the case. Now, they return to stop the newest plans.

In state documents from MDEQ, information states the project includes 3.15 acres of wetlands on a 16-acre site for the creation of a rail spur, staging lots and a security fence in support of Department of Defense shipments.

“They want to put tanks and all kind of cargo out here that makes a lot of noise,” Johnson said. “It vibrates the ground.”

The lot was formerly home to a fertilizer plant, which Story says furthers her concerns.

“You don’t know what’s still in the soil and what pollution it can bring to the people who live in this area,” Story said.

She’s fearful it could put the community at risk of toxic exposure and increased flooding. The long-time resident suggests that the Port plants the location near the Naval Construction Battalion Base or a location on Seaway Road.

“Especially when you have a Seaway that’s been designed for this kind of business, why come into communities and residential areas,” Story said.

Both Story and Johnson are hopeful the courts will consider their requests.

“Make the determination and think about the underserved community that’s being affected by it,” Johnson said.

The oral argument before the MS Court of Appeals begins at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. EEECHO, North Gulfport Community Land Trust, and the Anointed Temple AOH Church of God are represented by ACLU of Mississippi and Earthjustices’s Gulf Regional Office.

WLOX reached out to the Port of Gulfport, but they declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.

Related stories:

Click here to subscribe to WLOX News on YouTube: Keep up with South Mississippi news, sports, and local events on our YouTube channel!