Category Archives: SRWMD

Packet: WFNF opposition @ Union County BOCC 2026-05-18

Leave a reply

Assuming the Commissioners pass this at their 6 PM Monday meeting, Union County will become the seventh county (plus the Town of Branford) to pass a letter or resolution against Water First North Florida (WFNF), the plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee Basin.

For which counties, the Task Force and NCFRPC resolutions that represent all 12 counties in the Suwannee District, and who you can contact, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

[Packet: WFNF opposition to SRWMD @ Union County BOCC, 2026-05-18]
Packet: WFNF opposition to SRWMD @ Union County BOCC, 2026-05-18

See Agenda, Regular Meeting, May 18, 2026, 6:00 P.M.

https://union-clerk.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2026/05/14144906/5.18.26-Regular-Meeting-Packet-Web.pdf

Union County Board of County Commissioners
15 Northeast 1st Street, Lake Butler, FL 32054 * Phone: 386-496-4241 * Fax: 386-496-4240

Ms. Virginia Johns, Chair

Suwannee River Water Management District

9225 CR 49 Live Oak, Florida 32060

Re: Opposition to the Water First North Florida Project

Dear Ms. Johns:

Union County joins with its fellow members of the Middle and Lower Suwannee River and Withlacoochie River Task Force, as well as the numerous counties, municipalities, and citizen groups who who have all expressed concerns about, and opposition to, the proposed Water First North Florida Project. In the apparent rush to implement this project, local governments have gone uninformed and local voices in opposition have been largely ignored until just recently. We are grateful for legislative intervention that has, for the time being, stayed the execution of this project, but we remain alert to the potential for it to re-commence in the future and therefore wish to express our opposition.

It has long been understood by the scientific community that Continue reading →

More about WFNF funding in how it got ratified by sleight of bill 2026-02-25

1 Reply

Vigilance, please!

Yesterday, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, we heard from Florida State Senator Corey Simon that “the Water First North Florida project is being canceled in its current form.”

That’s good news, as far as it goes. And it wouldn’t have happened without all of you who have opposed it.

But it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings, and the SRWMD Governing Board said nothing about this that same morning. I was there and spoke against WFNF along with about half a dozen other people.

Nor have any of SRWMD, SJRWMD, or JEA said anything since that I’ve seen. And what happened yesterday did nothing to repeal huge financial support for WFNF by JEA and SJRWMD.

So please don’t stop now. Keep on speaking to cities, counties, the state, members of Congress, and the unelected boards that are pushing WFNF: SRWMD, SJRWMD, JEA, plus the Jacksonville City Council.

For much more about WFNF, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

[More about WFNF funding in how it got ratified by sleight of bill, SB 7034 into HB 1417]
More about WFNF funding in how it got ratified by sleight of bill, SB 7034 into HB 1417

We also heard yesterday from Florida State Representative Chuck Brannan that: Continue reading →

WFNF Canceled? 2026-05-12

1 Reply

Update 2026-05-13: More about WFNF funding in how it got ratified by sleight of bill 2026-02-25.

Florida State Senator Corey Simon posted this letter on his facebook page about 1 PM today, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The Madison County Florida Board of County Commissioners also posted it.

[WFNF is being canceled 2026-05-12, FL State Senator Corey Simon; What does this mean: in its current form?]
WFNF is being canceled 2026-05-12, FL State Senator Corey Simon; What does this mean: in its current form?

Well, I hope that formerly “done deal” is undone.

A catch: a single state Senator does not have the power to undo it.

Another catch: nothing was said about this at the SRWMD Governing Board meeting this morning.

And a third: “the Water First North Florida project is being canceled in its current form.”

Does that mean some parts of it are canceled? Which parts? For example, is SJRWMD cancelling its three-year consultant contract involving wetland siting and pipeline routing?

So, cautious optimism.

And many thanks to Senator Corey Simon, who has long made it clear he opposes WFNF, for example at the SRWMD and SJRWMD dog and pony show at UF IFAS on March 19.

But I will be making some inquiries with SRWMD, SJRWMD, JEA, and Sen. Simon’s offfice.

SENATOR COREY SIMON
3rd District

May 12, 2026

Subject: Update on the Water First North Florida Project

Dear Neighbor,

I want to provide you with an important update regarding the Water First North Florida Project.

After careful review and continued conversations with local leaders, water experts, property owners, and concerned citizens across North Florida, the Water First North Florida project is being canceled in its current form. While the need to address low water levels in our aquifer remains very real, it has become clear that this proposal is not the right path forward for our communities at this time.

Protecting North Florida’s water supply is one of the most important Continue reading →

Two moratoriums: detention centers and WFNF –Hailey Hall to Alachua BOCC 2026-05-05

Leave a reply

The Alachua County BOCC meets this morning, May 5, 2026, at 10 AM, County Administration Building – Grace Knight Conference Room 12 SE 1 Street, 2nd Floor, Gainesville, FL 32601.

There is nothing on their agenda about either of the moratoria that Hailey Hall requested on April 28, 2026, after their last meeting:

[Two moratoriums: detention centers and WFNF --Hailey Hall to Alachua BOCC, 2026-04-28]
Two moratoriums: detention centers and WFNF –Hailey Hall to Alachua BOCC, 2026-04-28

Hello Commissioners,

Thank you for your efforts and for allowing everyone to speak today at the meeting.

I am requesting that you enact two separate moratoriums.

  1. A moratorium prohibiting construction of new, non-municipal detention centers as Kansas City has done.
  2. A moratorium against further development and construction of the Water First North Florida pipeline project.

Please see the attached ordinance from Kansas City and resolution from Town of Branford.

Thank you and take care,

Hailey Hall

You’ve already seen the Branford resolution.

https://wwals.net/?p=69710

Here is the Kansas City ordinance: Continue reading →

The promoters bear the burden of proof –WWALS to Alachua BOCC 2026-04-20

Leave a reply

There is nothing about Water First North Florida (WFNF) on the Alachua County BOCC agenda for this morning, May 5, 2026, at 10 AM, County Administration Building – Grace Knight Conference Room 12 SE 1 Street, 2nd Floor, Gainesville, FL 32601.

But there is Public Comment near the end. And you can watch on facebook, YouTube, or Alachua County’s Video on Demand.

For much more about WFNF, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

Here is what I sent the Alachua BOCC on April 20, 2026. Continue reading →

Agenda: No WFNF but watch Outreach and Water Resources @ SRWMD 2026-05-12

Leave a reply

There’s nothing about Water First North Florida (WFNF), the plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin, on the agenda for the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) Governing Board next week.

But watch “28. Water Resources Division Updates”; that’s where I first heard about WFNF back in July 2025.

And maybe we’ll hear how poorly their attempts to sell WFNF are going in “20. Outreach and Communications Activity Summary”.

Also, “7. A. Hydrologic Conditions Report” is always interesting. That one will appear on the SRWMD website later.

[Agenda: No WFNF, but watch Outreach and Water Resources, Plus Hydrologic Conditions @ SRWMD 2026-05-12]
Agenda: No WFNF, but watch Outreach and Water Resources, Plus Hydrologic Conditions @ SRWMD 2026-05-12

Get there on time at 9 AM, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, for “4. Public Comment”. That’s at SRWMD HQ, 9225 CR 49, Live Oak, FL 32060.

Livestreamed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SRWMD

For more about WFNF, including other upcoming meetings, who you can contact, and a petition, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf Continue reading →

Lafayette County against WFNF and for desalination 2026-04-28

Leave a reply

Lafayette County on Tuesday became the sixth county to pass a letter or resulution against Water First North Florida (WFNF), the scheme by JEA, SJRWMD, and SRWMD to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin.

The other counties are Madison, Columbia, Suwannee, Hamilton, and Baker, plus the Town of Branford, the Rivers Task Force, and the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council. The last two organizations each represent all twelve counties in the Suwannee River Water Management District.

[Lafayette County against WFNF & for desalination, April 28, 2026]
Lafayette County against WFNF & for desalination, April 28, 2026

There are better ways to address both lower flows and levels in the Suwannee Basin and JEA’s legal requirement to stop outflowing into the St. Johns River; see The promoters bear the burden of proof about WFNF –WWALS to SRWMD 2026-04-13.

For much more about WFNF, including upcoming county commission and city council meetings, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

RESOLUTION NO. 2026-04-06

A RESOLUTION OF THE LAFAYETTE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OPPOSING THE WATER FIRST NORTH FLORIDA AQUIFER RECHARGE PROJECT AND RECOMMENDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ALTERNATIVE WATER DESALINIZATION PROJECT

WHEREAS, Continue reading →

Way down upon this Florida river, pollution and water withdrawals spell double trouble –Craig Pittman 2026-04-23

A wide-ranging story, which includes springs, the Nutrien phosphate mine, Stephen C. Foster, Ray Charles, Pilgrim’s Pride, WFNF, dairy farms, and Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs).

For much more about WFNF, see

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

First, some pullquotes:

Even blunter was John S. Quarterman, who’s been the Suwannee Riverkeeper for a decade. He told me, “It certainly IS endangered.”

Sheesh! Having your state’s most famous river classified as endangered is like having the governor’s limo towed because it’s a clunker. It reflects badly on all of us — especially whoever sits in the driver’s seat.

…

[Way down upon this Florida river, pollution and water withdrawals spell double trouble, --Craig Pittman, 2026-04-23]
Way down upon this Florida river, pollution and water withdrawals spell double trouble, –Craig Pittman, 2026-04-23

One of the largest drains on the Suwannee: Jacksonville. Water from the Suwannee is being pumped out of the ground to benefit folks who live nowhere near the river.

The water district has a plan to fix this. But it’ s so controversial, Quarterman said, that all the counties in the Suwannee River basin are opposed to it.

The flaw in the flow

The cover of the American Rivers report on the 10 most endangered rivers in America is an image of the flowing Suwannee.

Smack dab in the middle is a pipeline dumping waste into the river. Quarterman identified the pipeline’s owner as Pilgrim’s Pride, a chicken processing plant in Live Oak.

According to the water management district, the solution to the Suwannee’s dwindling flow lies in building a bigger, longer pipeline, this one stretching all the way to Jacksonville.

Although it’s called “Water First North Florida,” this project does not, in fact, involve water. It involves treated wastewater.

Continue reading →

WFNF resolution on the agenda, Lafayette County, FL, BOCC 2026-04-28

Water First North Florida (WFNF) is on the agenda for Lafayette County, Florida, BOCC:

  1. Consider adopting Resolution No. 2026-04-06, concerning the Water First North Florida Aquifer Recharge Project.

That’s at 5:30 PM, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in the County Commissioners Meeting Room, second floor, Lafayette County Courthouse, 120 West Main Street, Room #206, Mayo, Florida.

[WFNF resolution on the agenda, Lafayette County BOCC, 5:30 PM, Tuesday, April 28, 2026]
WFNF resolution on the agenda, Lafayette County BOCC, 5:30 PM, Tuesday, April 28, 2026

We don’t know what the resolution says, since, as near as I can tell, Lafayette County BOCC only posts its agendas, not its board packets.

For what other elected bodies have passed, as well as who you can contact, and a petition, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf Continue reading →

Refilling the aquifer with wastewater is a problem –Tana Silva 2026-04-19

Like Tana Silva, you can write a letter to the editor of your local, state, or national newspaper, or ask your local radio or TV station to interview you, or post on social media.

Better yet, call or write your elected and appointed officials, and sign the petition:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

Tana Silva, Alachua Chronicle, April 19, 2026, Letter: Refilling the aquifer with wastewater is a problem, not a solution
https://alachuachronicle.com/letter-refilling-the-aquifer-with-wastewater-is-a-problem-not-a-solution/

April 19, 2026

Letter to the editor

[Refilling the aquifer with wastewater is a problem (WFNF) --Tana Silva 2026-04-19]
Refilling the aquifer with wastewater is a problem (WFNF) –Tana Silva 2026-04-19

Until the 1970s, Jacksonville pumped sewage straight into the St. Johns River and allowed dumping industrial waste there as well. The mayor elected in 1967, local advocates, and the Clean Water Act of 1972 helped to at least send wastewater to treatment plants before releasing it to the river. That practice, too, is restricted by state law now, but raising springwater levels through recharging projects is another goal in state law that opens a path to reusing wastewater, a risky and irreversible choice.

Jacksonville, the largest city, water consumer, and wastewater producer in northern Florida, is again looking to offload its wastewater, this time far to the west, in rural springs country.

Local residents and governments and the 12-county regional planning council that includes Alachua County say no: Continue reading →