News Stories about WWALS 2026.
For the rest see News.

• 2026-03-18: Julia Miller, WCTV, March 18, 2026, Residents raise concerns over Water First North Florida project impacting Suwannee River: Residents held a discussion ahead of the Water First North Florida Project open house on Thursday, WWALS blog post,

  
  Residents raise concerns over WFNF and Suwannee River –WCTV 2026-03-18

  …

  “Our job is to leave things better than the way we found them, and I just have to have assurance that’s what we’re doing,” Suwannee County commissioner Don Hale said.

  …

  Suwannee County Commissioner Don Hale says he still doesn’t have enough information.

  “I guess I just need more education on how this would work, and you know, assurance that it’s not going to affect future, you know, citizens of Florida and our community.”

  But according to Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, he says it’s a project to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River basin. He says while they’re trying to address growing water demand…there need to be other options than using the Suwannee River.

  “The obvious solution, which apparently they don’t want to do because they don’t like the cost, build a pipe to run the brine way offshore and way deep into the sea. Now, I don’t know how much that would cost, a billion dollars, because that’s the price of this water first north florida project they’re proposing,” Quarterman said.

  Quarterman says the project raises concerns for many people, including cost and possible health impacts. He says there are still too many unanswered questions.

  “That’s one of the biggest problems, there’s so many things that just aren’t known yet, this thing is barrelling along,” Quarterman says. “By their optimistic scenario, they wouldn’t start sending anything through the pipe for 13 years, so how they doing such a humongous plan when they know so little?”

• 2026-03-06: Valdosta Today, March 6, 2026, Paddle with the Mayor & Chairman on the Withlacoochee (see also WWALS PR),

  
  Chairman, Mayor, City Manager on Deloach Ramp, 2023-03-04, 11:13:14, –jsq for WWALS 30.8380884, -83.3701976

  HAHIRA – Join a free paddle on the Withlacoochee River with Valdosta’s Mayor and Lowndes County’s Chairman.

  Release:

  Hahira, Georgia, March 6, 2026 — Suwannee Riverkeeper invites you to paddle with Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter on the idyllic Withlacoochee River.

  …

• 2026-03-03: Lyric Sloan, WTXL TV, 7:42 PM, Mar 03, 2026, Florida Senate Bill would send treated Jacksonville wastewater into the Suwannee River Basin: SB 7034 would pipe treated Jacksonville wastewater into the Suwannee River Basin to stabilize river flows, but critics warn of contamination risks, while supporters believe it could help agriculture (WWALS blog post)

  Environmental advocates are pushing back, warning the plan could introduce contaminants and fails to address what John Quarterman, Suwannee Riverkeeper, calls the root cause of declining river flows: over-pumping from the aquifer.

  
  FL SB 7034 would send treated Jacksonville wastewater into the Suwannee Basin –WTXL 2026-03-03

  “It’s a risky project,” Quarterman said. “There’s no evidence that it takes out PFAs for other chemicals or drugs, pharmaceuticals, and right now that plant is under a consent order for exceeding all sorts of limits.”

  Quarterman and other opponents argue Jacksonville should instead reduce its groundwater withdrawals or pursue alternative water sources, such as the St. Johns River or desalination.

• 2026-02-19: Nobody at a Live Oak meeting liked Jacksonville wastewater into the Suwannee Basin 2026-02-05,

  A few pullquotes sum it up:

  “The entire area JEA serves uses 120 million gallons. Remember that Texas plant, one plant does 100 million gallons. There’s no reason it has to be all in one place,” said Quarterman. “It doesn’t have to take more than a dozen years to come online.”

  Around 50 people attended the town hall, with the majority of attendees being older. None of the attendees who spoke out favored the Suwannee River Water Management District’s plan to strengthen the water supply. The main concerns of the project were over where funding would come from, project logistics, and the safety behind drinking recycled water.

  “One of my biggest concerns with this project is that it’s introducing contamination that’s extremely expensive to test for, to even know it’s there, much less manage and treat,” said Hailey Hall, a groundwater monitor.

  Area resident Ed Lee expressed his dissatisfaction with the plan approved by the Suwannee River Water Management District in November 2025 to address potable water issues. “Nobody has talked anything about money,” said Ed Lee. “Today you’re talking $1 billion. What the hell do you think it’s gonna cost with the time it gets there? It’ll be $15 billion.”

  The article has more.

  
  Nobody liked Jacksonville wastewater into the Suwannee Basin at a Live Oak meeting 2026-02-05, News by WUFT 2026-02-19

  Jessica Wilkinson, WUFT, February 19, 2026, Suwannee County residents unhappy with a $1 billion dollar water supply plan,

  LIVE OAK, Fla. — Almost everyone attending a Suwannee County GOP town hall on Feb. 5 again opposed a plan to recharge the Floridan aquifer with treated Jacksonville wastewater.

  …

• 2026-01-12: Valdosta Today, January 12, 2026, WWALS: Okefenokee Swamp leaks into Floridan Aquifer,

  HAHIRA – WWALS reports that strong evidence shows the Okefenokee Swamp leaking into the Floridan Aquifer.

  Release:

  Hahira, Georgia, January 12, 2026 — For thirty years it was suspected that the Okefenokee Swamp leaks water into the groundwater from which we all drink. Now we have much stronger evidence, that the Swamp leaks not a little but a lot of water into the Floridan Aquifer.’At noon by zoom this Thursday, you can watch the UGA professors who published it explain that evidence.

  They will also mention some consequences, such as nearby water withdrawals pull more water from the Swamp into the Aquifer.

  Lead author Prof. Jaivime Evaristo will explain the isotope evidence. Prof. Todd Rasmussen will explain the water level evidence.

  See also the WWALS PR, WWALS Webinar: Okefenokee Swamp leaks into the Floridan Aquifer, peer-reviewed evidence 2026-01-15M/a>.