Water First North Florida (#WFNF) is a plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee Basin.
Ask local, state, and national elected and appointed officials and Water Management Districts (Suwannee and St. Johns)
to explain it or stop it.
https://wwals.net/?p=69143
https://pluralpolicy.com/find-your-legislator/
Petition: https://c.org/8CgGBpLv7r
Also ask SRWMD to hold a Public Hearing explaining why this project is better and safer than limiting water withdrawals. Let’s see the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Including evidence about how much JEA’s Buckman Wastewater Treatment Facility actually removes PFAS forever chemicals, drugs, and artificial sweeteners. Plus single points of failure such as sole-source contractors.
Suwannee River Management District
9225 CR 49, Live Oak, FL 32060
Phone: 386.362.1001; Toll Free: 1.800.226.1066
Hugh Thomas, Executive Director, Hugh.Thomas@SRWMD.org
Also ask your SRWMD Board members:
https://mysuwanneeriver.com/134/Current-Board-Members
Why Not WFNF
The Suwannee River Basin is already downstream from Valdosta wastewater. It doesn’t also need to be downstream from Jacksonville. Sure, we’re poorer than Jacksonville, but we’re not their sacrifice zone.
Two Water Management Districts say this billion-dollar Water First North Florida project would replenish levels and flows in the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers, including the Ichetucknee Headspring, by sending water into the Upper Floridan Aquifer through wetlands. How can this expensive and risky project be the best way to conserve levels and flows in these Outstanding Florida Waters, which are supposed to be worthy of special protection because of their natural attributes? How can risking the source of our drinking water be a good idea?
Surely for a billion dollars Jacksonville, which withdraws more groundwater than any other entity in the area, could do seawater desalination.
More below:
- upcoming meetings about WFNF
- regional entities against WFNF
- local governments against WFNF
- Background
Upcoming meetings about WFNF
Go to a meeting, take pictures and videos, and post them with hashtag #WFNF so people will know.
-
Wednesday, 2026-03-18, 10 AM
DIAL IN NUMBER: Toll Free 1.888.585.9008
CONFERENCE CODE: 568 124 316
Dozen Florida Counties Task Force Resolution against WFNF and for Desalination 2026-03-18 -
Wednesday, 2026-03-18, 5-6:30 PM
Live Oak Public Library, 1848 Ohio Ave S, Live Oak, FL 32064
Crafting Effective Public Comments, a WWALS Workshop
https://wwals.net/?p=69575 -
Thursday, 2026-03-19, 6-8 PM
SRWMD WFNF Open House
UF-IFAS N FL REC — Suwannee Valley, 8202 County Road 417, Live Oak, FL, 32060
https://wwals.net/?p=69644 -
Wednesday, 2026-03-25, 6-7 PM
WFNF Update, a WWALS Webinar, mostly interactive
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zDdB5oQARxeUvH8U7ypW4A
Regional entities against WFNF
Local governments against WFNF
- 2026-02-27: Madison County BOCC
- 2026-03-05: Columbia County BOCC
- 2026-03-07: Town of Branford
- 2026-03-17: Suwannee County BOCC (facebook)
Background
On wwals.net, use the search box for WFNF to find the latest.
- Aquifer recharge is needed, but Jacksonville pumping is the biggest problem –Dennis J. Price, P.G. 2026-02-22
- Water First North Florida at Columbia County Commission 2026-02-19
- Nobody at a Live Oak meeting liked Jacksonville wastewater into the Suwannee Basin 2026-02-05
- Video: Jacksonville Wastewater into Suwannee Basin, WWALS Webinar 2026-02-12.
- Florida Statehouse
-
SRWMD: Suwannee River Water Management District
- How WFNF was chosen and desalination was rejected –SRWMD 2025-01-01
- Water First North Florida wetland locations: unknown –SRWMD 2025-12-17
- SRWMD & SJRWMD aquifer recharge project update @ SRWMD 2025-07-08.
- Phase II Water Shortage and Springs Protection Awareness Month Proclamation @ SRWMD 2026-03-10
- SRWMD rescheduled, not Hamilton County 2026-03-19
- SRWMD at North Central Florida Regional Planning Council 2026-02-26
- SJRWMD: St. Johns River Water Management District
- JEA: Jacksonville’s water and wastewater utility
-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/

![[WFNF Page QRCode]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-01-02--ask-about-wfnf/wfnfpageqrcode--trim.jpg)
![[Why is piping treated JAX wastewater into the Suwannee River Basin, better than limiting water withdrawals? Ask FL statehouse and WMD boards]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-01-02--ask-about-wfnf/fbmany.jpg)