Tag Archives: Suwannee River

Statewide Drought Response Level 1 –GA-EPD 2026-04-27

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Georgia starts to catch up with Florida in drought declarations.

Georgia Environmental Protection Division Declares Drought Response Level 1

On April 27, 2026, after consideration of the drought severity and the water resource impacts, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) declared a state-wide Drought Response Level 1 for public water systems using surface water and/or groundwater. EPD has been closely monitoring drought conditions in Georgia for months, and on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, EPD held conference calls with public water systems to discuss current water supply and EPD’s consideration of issuing a Level 1 drought response. Following the conference calls, the public water systems had three days to submit any additional feedback before EPD could proceed with a drought response declaration.

[Statewide Drought Response Level 1 --GA-EPD, April 27, 2026]
Statewide Drought Response Level 1 –GA-EPD, April 27, 2026

As a result of the Level 1 Drought Response, public water systems must implement a public information campaign including, at a minimum, notice regarding drought conditions and drought-specific announcements in one or more of the following ways: newspaper or online ads, bill inserts, social media, and notices in public libraries. This public information campaign is designed to help citizens better understand drought, its impact on water supplies, and the need for water conservation.

Outdoor water use between the hours of 4 PM and 10 A.M. is still Continue reading →

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

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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 →

WFNF on Jacksonville TV 2026-04-22

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This is probably the first most people in the Jacksonville area have heard of Water First North Florida (WFNF).

It’s great that the SRWMD and SJRWMD Executive Directors consider clean water a personal issue. They’re still pushing an overly complex, expensive, and risky 60+-mile pipeline for treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee Basin.

There are less expensive, fast-to-build, less risky, and more scalable solutions.

https://wwals.net/?p=70046

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

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

[WFNF on Jacksonville TV, Andrea Snody, News4JAX 2026-04-22, Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, Hugh Thomas, SRWMD, Mike Register, SJRWMD]
WFNF on Jacksonville TV, Andrea Snody, News4JAX 2026-04-22, Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, Hugh Thomas, SRWMD, Mike Register, SJRWMD

Andrea Snody, News4JAX, April 22, 2026, Jacksonville wastewater plan could reshape North Florida water supply, Continue reading →

Tabled: Sheriff’s lease for an ICE detention center –Bradford County Commission 2026-04-16

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Forty people spoke against, and not one for, the proposed ICE detention center in Starke, Bradford County, Florida. They came from all across north Florida, from Tallahassee to St. Augustine. As Mary Bauer from Gainesville said, this is really a national issue.

Several of them brought up water and sewage issues such as in the WWALS letter to Bradford County of April 6.

Sheriff Gordon Brown claimed people who came to him were three to one for it.

Outside his bubble, four of five Bradford County Commissioners said that last meeting they asked for all options for the Douglas Building to be considered, that putting only the ICE option on the agenda the previous day, with the lease and operating requirements added only 24 hours before this meeting, was rushed, and they could not vote for it. Continue reading →

NCFRPC asks Gilchrist County to pass a resolution against WFNF 2026-04-20

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This Monday the Gilchrist County BOCC will consider a resolution against Water First North Florida (WFNF), the plan to pipe treated Jacksonville wastewater into the Suwannee Basin, by JEA, SJRWMD, and SRWMD.

That’s 3:01 PM, Monday, April 20, 2026, Board of County Commissioners Meeting Facility, 210 South Main Street, Trenton, FL 32693.

There is Public Comment towards the beginning and the end of the meeting.

NCFRPC, after passing a resolution against WFNF back in March, is now asking counties to do the same.

[NCFRPC asks Gilchrist County to pass a resolution against WFNF, 3:01 PM, April 20, 2026, 210 S Main Street, Trenton, FL 32693]
NCFRPC asks Gilchrist County to pass a resolution against WFNF, 3:01 PM, April 20, 2026, 210 S Main Street, Trenton, FL 32693

On the Gilchrist agenda for Monday:

Attorney Report

  1. Miscellaneous
    1. Email and Resolution from North Central Florida Regional Planning Council
      Attachments:
      • NCFRPC Email in Opposition to the Water First North Florida Aquifer Project (NCFRPC_Email_in_Opposition_to_the_Water_First_North_Florida_Aquifer_Project.pdf)
      • NCFRPC Resolution in Opposition to the Water First North Florida Aquifer Project (NCFRPC_Resolution_in_Opposition_to_the_Water_First_North_Florida_Aquifer_Project.pdf)

For all the other local and regional letters and resolutions against WFNF, as well as who you can contact and a petition, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

Here’s what NCFRPC is asking: Continue reading →

Mixed Withlacoochee River 2026-04-13, Clean Santa Fe River 2026-04-14

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Update 2026-04-24: Withlacoochee River filthy upstream, clean downstream 2026-04-23.

Valdosta Utilities got a high E. coli number for Monday at GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) on the Withlacoochee River, but a good result at US 84 that same day.

WWALS results for the Santa Fe River for Tuesday were cleanest.

Still no rain, and still no new sewage spills have been reported this week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia.

As always, we can only advise with the results we have. I’d avoid the Withlacoochee River above the Little River Confluence. Happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can find any water.

Maybe join us for >Tupelo Blossom Paddle, Suwannee River Sill Ramp 2026-04-18.

https://wwals.net/?p=70035

This image is an illustration. Scroll down for the details.

[Mixed Withlacoochee River 2026-04-13, Clean Santa Fe River 2026-04-14, Very low water, Avoid Withlacoochee above Little River]
Mixed Withlacoochee River 2026-04-13, Clean Santa Fe River 2026-04-14, Very low water, Avoid Withlacoochee above Little River

Follow this link for the WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results

The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading →

WFNF discussion on the agenda –Union County Commission 2026-04-20

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The agenda doesn’t say much about it, but Water First North Florida (WFNF) is on there:

9. Water First Discussion… Mac Johns

That’s on the for Union County, FL, Board of County Commissioners, 6 PM, Monday, April 20, 2026, in the Board Meeting Room, Union County Courthouse, 55 W. Main St., Lake Butler, FL 32054.

[Water First North Florida discusion on the agenda at Union County Commission, 6 PM, Monday, April 20, 2026]
Water First North Florida discusion on the agenda at Union County Commission, 6 PM, Monday, April 20, 2026

Union County sits between the New River and Olustee Creek on the Santa Fe River, which flows to the Suwannee River.

The county website link for agendas, https://unioncounty-fl.gov/agendas/, gets 404 “Page Not Found”.

But you can find the agenda on the Clerk of Court and Comptroller website. Continue reading →

FL statutes give JEA until 2032 or 2039 or 2044 to divert its wastewater –Joe Squitieri @ SCRP 2026-04-02

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Wastewater professional Joe Squitieri pointed out that 2032 may not be the real deadline for wastewater outflows to stop going into rivers according to FL SB 64.

Extensions could be granted until 2039, or maybe even 2044. So JEA could keep outflowing into the St. Johns River after 2032.

[FL statutes give JEA until 2032 or 2039 or later to divert its wastewater --Joe Squitieri @ SCRP 2026-04-02]
FL statutes give JEA until 2032 or 2039 or later to divert its wastewater –Joe Squitieri @ SCRP 2026-04-02

Here’s the video:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1329841519196016/

https://youtu.be/qsp91kAdL5E

He also reminded us that the JEA Buckman wastewater plant is under a Florida Consent Order for exceeding a range of contaminant limits.

Plus, even when that plant is in compliance, it produces quite a bit of nitrates and other contaminants. It failed a test that involves putting fish in the outflow: none of them survived, he said. Then there are PFAS forever chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

“They really don’t know what they’re doing,” he said.

He recommended if they can clean it up enough, they should turn their wastewater into potable reuse.

For much more about Water First North Florida (WFNF), including all the local and regional elected letters and resolutions against, who you can contact, and a petition, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

For the other speakers at that meeting, see Continue reading →

The promoters bear the burden of proof about WFNF –WWALS to SRWMD 2026-04-13

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This is the letter I sent SRWMD and gave them on paper this morning.

You can see it in SRWMD’s own video on YouTube. Public Comments start at 20:28.

https://www.youtube.com/live/OwKstHuSHNg?si=nF1yXXiXayn91J7p&t=1228

My bit starts at 38:20.

https://www.youtube.com/live/OwKstHuSHNg?si=yJ_hyAkBR3r_JPR6&t=2300

[The promoters bear the burden of proof about WFNF --WWALS to SRWMD 2026-04-13]
The promoters bear the burden of proof about WFNF –WWALS to SRWMD 2026-04-13

Three other people spoke against WFNF in Public Comments, and there was more comment by the board members at the end, as well as some allusions during the Public Hearing about the Modified Phase II Water Shortage Order. You can see and hear those for yourself in the SRWMD video. I may blog some more of that later.

For much more about WFNF, including the letters and resolutions against it by towns, counties, and regional entities, as well as who you can contact and a petition, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

Below is the text of the WWALS letter to SRWMD for their 9 AM meeting this morning.

I also sent a similar letter to SJRWMD for their 10AM meeting this morning.

Images of both letters are below.

Maybe some day they will stagger their board meetings so it is possible to attend both, as Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson asked them 9 years ago. Continue reading →

Stagger SRWMD and SJRWMD Board meetings –Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson 2027-01-17

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Update 2026-04-14: The promoters bear the burden of proof about WFNF –WWALS to SRWMD 2026-04-13.

Nine years after Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson asked them to stagger their meetings, SRWMD and SJRWMD are still meeting the same day, three hours drive apart.

So tomorrow if you want to talk about Water First North Florida (WFNF), you much choose: SRWMD in Live Oak or SJRWMD in Palatka.

[Stagger SRWMD and SJRWMD Board meetings, 2017-01-17 --Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson @ joint meeting about NFRWSP]
Stagger SRWMD and SJRWMD Board meetings, 2017-01-17 –Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson @ joint meeting about NFRWSP

For much more about WFNF, including who else to contact, some questions to ask, and a petition, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

Here’s the WWALS video of Merrillee from January 17, 2017:

https://youtu.be/lCnR0Rw0BF8?si=V7Zpwc53S3__6CS6 Continue reading →