TV reported on the WWALS Workshop on Crafting Public Comments, yesterday at the Live Oak Public Library.

Don Hale came to speak about the resolution against WFNF that the dozen-county Task Force had passed earlier that same day, and the letter the Suwannee County BOCC had passed the previous evening.

For much more about WFNF, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

Residents raise concerns over WFNF and Suwannee River –WCTV 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

SUWANNEE COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV)—Residents are weighing in on a North Florida water project that could impact the Suwannee River.

The “Water First North Florida Project” will be discussed at a public open house on Thursday, with officials saying it could help meet water demand and restore the river and aquifer.

Community members gathered at the Live Oak Public Library on Wednesday night to voice their concerns and learn more about what’s going on ahead of Thursday’s meeting.

On Wednesday, the Lower Withlacoochee and Upper Suwannee River task force, made up of 12 counties, with one county commissioner from each, voted unanimously to pass a resolution against the Water First North Florida project.

You can see their resolution here:

https://wwals.net/?p=69639

RESOLUTION NO. 2026-01 OPPOSING THE WATER FIRST NORTH FLORIDA AQUIFER RECHARGE PROJECT AND RECOMMENDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ALTERNATIVE WATER DESALINIZATION PROJECT
PDF

RESOLVED this 18th day of March 2026
PDF

Back to the WCTV story.

“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.

Don Hale Suwannee County Commissioner District 1, 2026-03-18 –WCTV

Suwannee County also wrote a letter to SRWMD on March 17:

https://wwals.net/?p=69669

Suwannee County’s Objection to Water First North Florida Project, 2026-03-17 –Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners
PDF

Back to the WCTV story.

According to a statement from the Suwannee River Water Management District, which is collaborating on the project, “The project aims to use high-quality reclaimed water…further treat it through a wetland filtration system…and then recharge it into the Floridan Aquifer.”

According to a map on their website, water would leave the Jacksonville area and be brought to north central Florida to be filtered through a wetland area.

WFNF Map, 2026-03-18 –WCTV

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.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, 2026-03-18 –WCTV

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?”

District officials say in that same statement, “Water First North Florida is the most protective, long-term solution…with the greatest environmental benefit…to restore and protect our natural water resources.”

The Suwannee River Water Management District will hold an open house on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. At the North Florida Research and Education Center in Live Oak. They say they’ll be answering questions and working to dispel misinformation.

That SRWMD meeting is at the UF-IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center — Suwannee Valley, 8202 County Road 417, Live Oak, FL, 32060.

The format is for people to walk among tables with materials and district personnel who will answer questions and accept written comments.

However, most people at that meeting won’t hear the questions or the answers or see the comments.

So WWALS recomments that you take pictures and videos and post them with hashtag #WFNF.

Be polite, and remember that District personnel are there as tax-paid public employees, so you can photograph and video them.

For more about that SRWMD Open House, see:

https://wwals.net/?p=69644

For much more about WFNF, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

Many thanks to WWALS Events Committee member Hailey Hyatt for organizing the WWALS March 18 meeting, to Sierra Club Suwannee-St. Johns Group Chair Sarah Younger for organizing remote presence of her usual group, and to Suwannee County COmmissioner Don Hale for speaking, to WCTV reporter Julia Miller for staying through the whole thing, and especially to everyone who attended, asked and answered questions, and who will go on to talk to SRWMD, cities, counties, statehouse, and Congress.

 -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/