Pictures: Santa Fe River BMAP meeting, Lake Butler, FL 2024-10-28

There was better communication than last time, but of course that was a low bar.

You can follow up after that meeting, and the next ones: here are some ideas.
https://wwals.net/?p=66108

The other two BMAP meetings are today (see below).

[Santa Fe River BMAP Meeting, Lake Butler, FL 2024-10-28 Better communication than last time]
Santa Fe River BMAP Meeting, Lake Butler, FL 2024-10-28 Better communication than last time

At the Santa Fe BMAP meeting in Lake Butler, none of the people from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) volunteered an answer to the most basic question: how has the situation improved since the BMAPs started?

Thanks to the graph Ryan Smart of the Florida Springs Council (FSC) brought, showing “Changes in pounds of nitrogen at spring vent”, several of them did agree that in fact the situation has gotten worse.

[Changes in Santa Fe Pollution and Milestones: 2018-2024 --Ryan Smart, Florida Springs Council]
Changes in Santa Fe Pollution and Milestones: 2018-2024 –Ryan Smart, Florida Springs Council

Ryan asked geologist Samuel Harkinson to explain how the situation could be better, given the underground architecture. I am not sure we actually heard an answer.

[Movie: Samuel Hankinson, Professional Geologist II and Ryan Smart, Florida Springs Council (326M)]
Movie: Samuel Hankinson, Professional Geologist II and Ryan Smart, Florida Springs Council (326M)

Lead presenter Chandler Keenan when I talked to her indicated difficulties in persuading farmers to change. I agreed that was a problem, and we discussed some possibilities. More on those later.

[Chandler Keenan and audience]
Chandler Keenan and audience

I mentioned to Kathryn (Katie) Craver that in the previous zoom BMAP meetings nobody could see anybody else’s questions, many of them were not answered during the meeting, and I got directed to a website that did not have the answer to that basic question. So it was not actually a public meeting. Also, he said tactfully, that holding meetings without being prepared to answer such basic questions makes it look like FDEP is hiding something. She of course said they were not hiding anything. And maybe that’s that case. But they could get better at communicating. To her credit, she sought me out to talk.

[Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson and Katie Craver, FDEP]
Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson and Katie Craver, FDEP

The four SRWMD people recognized me as the person who used to video SRWMD Board meetings. Yes, and put them on YouTube. I told them I stopped coming after the Nestle decision, because there was no reason for that decision. Yes, I heard what the attorneys said, but the board could have voted its conscience, and it didn’t. They said that wasn’t the first time they had heard that at the Santa Fe meeting.

Anyway, they said SRWMD is the source of the data used in the STAR reports that Ryan Smart used to make his graph. I will follow up with them for some public records requests.

[Suwannee River Water Management District]
Suwannee River Water Management District

OSFR was well represented.

[Rick Lanese, OSFR Treasurer, and Madeline Hart, FDACS]
Rick Lanese, OSFR Treasurer, and Madeline Hart, FDACS

At least four of their board were there.

[Jodi Boas, OSFR Director, in striped shirt]
Jodi Boas, OSFR Director

Thanks to Sarah Younger for rustling up so many attendees.

[Sarah Younger, SSJG Sierra Club Florida]
Sarah Younger, SSJG Sierra Club Florida

The other two meetings are today:

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

[Presentation by Chandler Keenan, Environmental Consultant]
Presentation by Chandler Keenan, Environmental Consultant

CK

[Chandler Keenan contact information]
Chandler Keenan contact information

KC

[Kathryn (Katie) Craver, Government Operations Consultant III, Northeast District]
Kathryn (Katie) Craver, Government Operations Consultant III, Northeast District

PS

[Agricultural Progress in the Santa Fe BMAP]
Agricultural Progress in the Santa Fe BMAP

People

[Movie: Presentation end and audience (92M)]
Movie: Presentation end and audience (92M)

QA

[Q&A]
Q&A

BM

[BMAP Meetings 2024]
BMAP Meetings 2024

MH

[Moira Homann, Program Administrator]
Moira Homann, Program Administrator

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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