Tag Archives: Hailey Hall

Crafting Effective Public Comments @ Live Oak Library –WWALS Workshop 2026-03-181

Come to a WWALS Workshop to prepare to make public comments.

The workshop will be 5-6:30 PM, Wednesday, March 18, 2026,
at the Live Oak Public Library, 1848 Ohio Ave S, Live Oak, FL 32064.

[Crafting Effective Public Comments @ Live Oak Library --WWALS Workshop 2026-03-18]
Crafting Effective Public Comments @ Live Oak Library –WWALS Workshop 2026-03-18

Here is a facebook event to remind you, and so you can invite people:

https://www.facebook.com/events/694551033680363/

This workshop is conveniently the day before the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) will hold a public meeting at its Live Oak headquarters on Water First North Florida (WFNF), the plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin.

But there are always opportunities to make public comments, written, by telephone, or in person.

When you do, be polite, be brief, be specific, say something different from what everybody else said, tie it to your experience and to evidence, and connect to the larger picture.

All in a memorable way, of course.

As an example, read how the Columbia County Observer wrote up Hailey Hall’s comments on WFNF to the Columbia County Commission on February 21, 2026. Continue reading

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

Update 2026-02-24: SRWMD at North Central Florida Regional Planning Council 2026-02-26.

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]
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.

Continue reading

Video: Jacksonville Wastewater into Suwannee Basin, WWALS Webinar 2026-02-12

Update 2026-02-17: Consent Order on JEA Buckman Wastewater Treatment Plant –FDEP 2025-09-15.

Thanks to all who participated, this webinar turned into a 45-minute online town hall, after the the two-minute introduction by WWALS Treasurer Sara Squires Jones and the 32-minute slide presentation by Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman.

Many questions were asked about s the plan by the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) and the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) to pipe output from the JEA Buckman wastewater treatment plant into wetlands in the Suwannee River Basin, to recharge springs and rivers.

We now know much more about why JEA wants to do this, especially thanks to Joe Squitieri, Rick Lanese, and Hailey Hall.

Here is the zoom video:
https://youtu.be/Df3dJzq2_7Y

[Video: Jacksonville Wastewater into Suwannee Basin, WWALS Webinar, online by zoom 2026-02-12]
Video: Jacksonville Wastewater into Suwannee Basin, WWALS Webinar, online by zoom 2026-02-12

The slides are on the WWALS website in PDF and PowerPoint. The slides are slightly updated to clean up a few glitches and especially to add four slides about what JEA gets out of this project.

Images of each slide are below.

Notes on the Q&A are at the end of this post, and you can see and hear for yourself in the video.

Please remember to Ask for explanations or to stop the projects.

Members of Congress & Statehouse
http://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/

SRWMD and SJRWMD Board
https://www.mysuwanneeriver.com/134/Current-Board-Members
https://www.sjrwmd.com/about/organization/directors/

County Commissioners and City Councils
https://www.fl-counties.com/2025-fac-directory/

Florida Counties Task Force about wastewater
https://wwals.net/?p=68081

Follow the QR code or the link below for a change.org petition you can sign. Continue reading