SRWMD is going all-out in PR for Jacksonville treated wastewater into the Suwannee Basin, this time with a meeting the District is holding:

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

The Suwannee River Water Management District will hold a public meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at the Hamilton County Courthouse Annex, Auditorium, 1153 US Highway 41, NW, Jasper, Florida 32052. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and answer questions regarding the implementation of the Water First North Florida project which was recently approved to address regional water supply and environmental needs. The public is encouraged and invited to attend this important meeting.

JAX treated wastewater into Suwannee Basin, @ Hamilton Co. Courthouse –SRWMD 2026-02-26

This project would pipe treated wastewater from the JEA Buckman wastewater treatment plant in Jacksonville into wetlands in the Suwannee River Basin to be absorbed into groundwater, to increase levels and flows in the Ichetucknee and Santa Fe Rivers and their springs, such as the Ichetucknee headspring.

WATER FIRST NORTH FLORIDA, Potential treatment wetland locations and recharge locations, 2025-07-08 –SRWMD

But those wetlands wouldn’t remove PFAS forever chemicals, pipes break, and the project would cost a billion dollars and take more than a dozen years.

The biggest reason for lower levels and flows is Jacksonville wastewater withdrawals. Easier, cheaper, and faster would be seawater desalination to reduce or eliminate JAX withdrawals.

Please ask your elected and appointed officials, local, state, and national, for explanations or to stop this project.

For a change.org petition follow this link or the qrcode below:

https://c.org/8CgGBpLv7r

Ask for explanations or to stop the project
PDF

SRWMD Main Office: 386-362-1001

Suwannee River Management District, 9225 CR 49, Live Oak, FL 32060

Hugh Thomas, Executive Director, Hugh.Thomas@SRWMD.org

Individual SRWMD Board Members:

• Virginia Johns (Chair), Virginia.Johns@SRWMD.org
• Richard Schwab (Vice Chair), Richard.Schwab@SRWMD.org
• Charles Keith (Secretary/Treasurer), Charles.Keith@SRWMD.org
• William Lloyd, William.Lloyd@SRWMD.org
• Larry Sessions, Larry.Sessions@SRWMD.org
• Harry Smith, Harry.Smith@SRWMD.org
• Larry Thompson, Larry.Thompson@SRWMD.org
• George Wheeler, George.Wheeler@SRWMD.org

Governor Ron DeSantis – (850) 717-9337

To find contact information for your legislators, type in your ZIP code here:

http://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/

For a pithy summary of why Water First North Florida (WFNF) is good for JEA, but very risky for the Suwannee Basin, see: Water First North Florida at Columbia County Commission 2026-02-19.

https://wwals.net/?p=69442

For what people think of WFNF, see Nobody at a Live Oak meeting liked Jacksonville wastewater into the Suwannee Basin 2026-02-05.

https://wwals.net/?p=69449

For more than an hour of discussion, see Video: Jacksonville Wastewater into Suwannee Basin, WWALS Webinar 2026-02-12.

https://wwals.net/?p=69378

 -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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