Please take the Nutrien Water Use Permit off Consent Agenda and hold a Public Hearing –WWALS to SRWMD 2025-09-08

The SRWMD Board agenda for tomorrow, Tuesday, September 9, 2025, is here:
https://www.mysuwanneeriver.com/Archive.aspx?ADID=1706

I sent this letter Monday evening.

[Please remove Nutrien WUP from Consent Agenda and hold a Public Hearing --WWALS to SRWMD 2025-09-08]
Please remove Nutrien WUP from Consent Agenda and hold a Public Hearing –WWALS to SRWMD 2025-09-08

September 8, 2025

To: Virginia H. Johns
Board Chair
virginia.johns@srwmd.org
Suwannee River Water Management District

Cc: Hugh Thomas
Executive DIrector
Hugh.Thomas@srwmd.org

Dear SRWMD,

Staff seem unaware of a recent fish kill on Swift Creek, one of the “offsite discharge locations” cited in the Memorandum on the proposed five-year extension of the Nutrien Water Use Permit 2-047-219878. A fish kill is not a natural system “healthy and functioning well.”

That alone should be enough reason to remove that item from the Consent Agenda and to schedule a public hearing on that WUP.

Specifically, on your agenda for Tuesday morning, in this item,

5. Consideration of the following Items Collectively by Consent:

Please remove this one:

  • Agenda Item No. 22 – Water Use Permit 219878-7 Nutrien-White Springs, Hamilton County

The corresponding Memorandum on BCS 66 says in its last paragraph:

“District staff inspected the environmental conditions at the mine operation of the offsite discharge locations, Mill Creek, Camp Branch, Swift Creek, Roaring Creek, and Rocky Creek. Staff also inspected reclamation area wetlands. The landcover and natural system appeared healthy and functioning well.”

On June 19, a short video of dead fish in Swift Creek was posted on the facebook group, Hamilton County Florida News, Gossip and Ventiing Zone. See still picture attached.

I have corresponded with the person who took that video, Russell Hart. He has publicly confirmed that he took it at the SE 78th Place bridge over Swift Creek, looking southwest into his property. See attached Hamilton County Property Appraiser map.

The attached WWALS map shows Swift Creek running down from the Nutrien mine past that bridge to the Suwannee River.

I don’t know how that location fits with the Swift Creek outfall mentioned in the Memorandum, because there were no associated maps or geographical coordinates.

Please hold a public hearing on the Nutrien Water Use Permit 2-047-219878.

For the rivers and the aquifer,
John S. Quarterman
[signed]
Suwannee Riverkeeper
229-560-4317

Attachments: Image of dead fish in Swift Creek, Hamilton PA map, WWALS map,
And SRWMD Agenda BCS 66 Memorandum.

[Dear SRWMD: Please take Nutrien Water Use Permit off the SRWMD Board Consent Agenda 2025-09-08 --WWALS]
Dear SRWMD: Please take Nutrien Water Use Permit off the SRWMD Board Consent Agenda 2025-09-08 –WWALS
PDF

[Image of dead fish in Swift Creek, 2025-06-19 on facebook]
Image of dead fish in Swift Creek, 2025-06-19 on facebook
PDF

[Map: Parcel ID 1548-025, 2025-06-23 --Hamilton County Property Appraiser]
Map: Parcel ID 1548-025, 2025-06-23 –Hamilton County Property Appraiser
PDF

[Map: Swift Creek, 2025-06-22 --SRWT by WWALS]
Map: Swift Creek, 2025-06-22 — SRWT by WWALS
PDF

BCS66

[SRWMD BCS 66 Nutrien WUP 2-047-219878]
SRWMD BCS 66 Nutrien WUP 2-047-219878
PDF

[SRWMD BCS 66 The landcover and natural system appeared healthy and functioning well.]
SRWMD BCS 66 The landcover and natural system appeared healthy and functioning well.
PDF

 -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/

9 thoughts on “Please take the Nutrien Water Use Permit off Consent Agenda and hold a Public Hearing –WWALS to SRWMD 2025-09-08”

  1. Pingback: Swift Creek @ Suwannee River Water Quality Testing 2025-06-21 | WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

  2. Nutrien

    This letter was not read at the meeting, no one at all gave any public comment, and the consent agenda passed with no changes. What is going on?

      1. Nutrien

        If this is business as usual, why were no advocacy groups present for in-person televised public comment? Why did these groups not call on impacted residents to make public comment? It’s always the second Tuesday of the month with an agenda a week before right? If it’s known that submitting a letter won’t be read into the record and heard by the public, how is there no one there? What kind of media outreach is going on? Is anyone connecting with local news outlets within the WMD with the information that public comment to the district is not being shared with the public? What are the other water groups priorities bigger than monitoring huge water use permits for companies of huge influence that are causing substantial environmental and potentially personal health damage?

        1. jsq Post author

          We did call on people to make public comment, on facebook, instagram, blog post.
          This was delayed due to our annual Gala being last Saturday.
          OSFR also sent a letter. They didn’t know about it until WWALS posted. -jsq

  3. Nutrien

    This information was posted on OSFR’s comment page on 9/1. Still visible under “Get in on the Conversation” as the third newest comment.

  4. Nutrien

    Yes, it should occur to you there is likely serious reasons self-identification is not happening. Please push your affiliated groups towards doing more than the bare minimum. As you note yourself, this was a permit approved through consent that is double the withdrawal amount of the city of Gainesville. Every local group just rolled over as that happened. These are nearly impossibly power forces already. Focus.

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