Tag Archives: Hailey Hall

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

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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]
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 Continue reading →

WFNF Update, an interactive WWALS Webinar 2026-03-25

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A more interactive than usual WWALS Webinar update about what happened in the previous week’s meetings on Water First North Florida (WFNF), the plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin.

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

Hailey Hall will give a brief rundown.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman will expand, especially on modern desalination examples.

Then we will keep it casual and conversational. We will field and pose questions, and “popcorn share”. We will call on various people if they are present, and others can chime in.

When: 6 PM, Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Put In: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zDdB5oQARxeUvH8U7ypW4A

[WFNF Update, an interactive WWALS Webinar, Online by zoom, 6 PM, Wednesday, March 25, 2026]
WFNF Update, an interactive WWALS Webinar, Online by zoom, 6 PM, Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Continue reading →

Town of Branford Resolution against WFNF 2026-03-01

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Branford is at the mouth of the Santa Fe River, and downstream of the Ichetucknee River, both of which Water First North Florida (#WFNF) purport to help.

For more about WFNF, including the other local and regional government opposition, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

[Town of Branford, Resolution against WFNF 2026-03-01, Water First North Florida, JAX treated wastewater]
Town of Branford, Resolution against WFNF 2026-03-01, Water First North Florida, JAX treated wastewater

RESOLUTION NO. 2026-003

A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN OF BRANFORD, FLORIDA, OPPOSING THE FIRST NORTH FLORIDA (WENF) PIPELINE PROJECT AS CURRENTLY PROPOSED; REQUESTING AN IMMEDIATE MORATORIUM PENDING INDEPENDENT STUDY; AND DIRECTING TRANSMITTAL TO STATE OFFICIALS

WHEREAS, the St. Johns River Water Management District and the Suwannee River Water Management District approved elements of the Water First North Florida (WFNF) project in November 2025, which includes a proposed approximately 90-mile pipeline to transport highly treated reclaimed water from facilities in the Jacksonville metropolitan area to wetlands within the Suwannee River Basin for purposes of aquifer recharge; and

WHEREAS, the project is estimated to cost between $1.0 and $1.1 billion, including approximately $400 million in funding from JEA, and proposes to recharge the Floridan Aquifer with more than 40 million gallons per day; and Continue reading →

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

Update 2026-03-19: Residents raise concerns over WFNF and Suwannee River –WCTV 2026-03-18.
Much more about WFNF here: https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

Update 2026-03-09: Chance to speak to SRWMD at its Board Meeting, 9 AM, Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

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 2026-03-19: For more about WFNF, see https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

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 →