Tag Archives: Suwannee River Water Trail

Packet: Another increase in groundwater withdrawals during a Phase III Extreme Water Shortage –SJRWMD 2026-07-14

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Nevermind the top of the SJRWMD web page says, “Phase III Extreme Water Shortage in Effect | View current watering restrictions.”

Nonetheless, the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) Board plans to permit increased groundwater withdrawals, at their 10 AM, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, meeting in Palatka,

You can also watch on SJRWMD’s YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@floridaswater

Which could be useful if you have to be in Live Oak at 10 AM that same day for the Suwannee River WMD (SRWMD) board meeting.

[Packet: Another increase in groundwater withdrawals in Phase III Extreme Water Shortage --SJRWMD 2026-07-14]
Packet: Another increase in groundwater withdrawals in Phase III Extreme Water Shortage –SJRWMD 2026-07-14

You can talk in Public Comment about anything you like, including Water First North Florida (WFNF), the JEA, SJRWMD, and SRWMD plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin. https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

In the SJRWMD board packet are these agenda items:

  1. For Information: The Hydrologic Conditions Report.
  1. Consideration: Approve Consumptive Use Permit 1198-10, known as St. Johns Utility Department (SJCUD). This application is a consolidation and renewal of existing public supply permits with a proposed allocation of 21.58 mgd through 2046. If special permit conditions are met, the permitted allocation will increase from 21.58 to 27.11 mgd.
  1. For Information: Public Comment.

Page 11 of the board packet spells out how this is related to the Suwannee Basin, “…an increase in Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA) groundwater allocation from 21.58 mgd to 27.11 mgd, if the permittee meets the offset requirements of Rule 62-42.300(7), F.A.C., relating to the Implementation Strategy for the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers (LSFIR) Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs) and offsets the permittee’s share of impacts to the Lakes Brooklyn and Geneva minimum flows and levels established by Rule 40C-8.031(5), F.A.C.”

According to page 13, “The proposed increase in allocation represents a 26% increase in allocation to meet a projected population increase of approximately 74% over the permit duration.”

But according to page 16, the actual increase is even greater, “SJCUD is required to identify offset project(s) within 5 years of permit issuance for the increase in impacts associated with the increase in allocation from its 2025 demonstrated demand of 15.41 mgd to its current permitted allocation of 21.58 mgd.”

21.58 mgd is already 40% more than “its 2025 demonstrated demand of 15.41 mgd”.

And 27.11 is 76% more than that 2025 number. Very similar to that 74% population increase projection.

So it’s not as if SJRWMD or St. Johns County has figured out how to use much less water per capita. They’re just planning to increase water withdrawals by about the same percentage as they predict population will increase.

But trust them, says page 15, “The proposed source has historically and will continue to be capable of producing adequate quantities of water to meet the requirements for public supply purposes under subsections 2.3(c) and (d), A.H.”

Oh, it’s also related to Black Creek, says page 17, Continue reading →

Some history and data on the Suwannee River near Gibson Park –Byron Herder 2026-06-25

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Byron Herder, who owns the Alapaha River Rise, just upstream from the Alapaha River on the Suwannee River, sent this:

I don’t think I can make it Saturday. Here is some history and data on the area of put in near Gibson. Was the capitol of Florida for thousands of years before Spanish contact. Largest pyramids in Florida. Was site of San Ugustin de Urihica for Spanish missionaries. First large battle in what is now US history called Napituca.

What’s happening Saturday is Gibson County Park to SRSP Paddle, Suwannee River 2026-06-27.

https://wwals.net/?p=70541

[Some history and data on the Suwannee River near Gibson Park --Byron Herder 2026-06-25]
Some history and data on the Suwannee River near Gibson Park –Byron Herder 2026-06-25

Here are the images Byron sent, with sources for those that I could find. Continue reading →

Treated wastewater must benefit both an Outstanding Florida Spring and A Rural Area of Opportunity 2026-04-17

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It turns out there’s a reason JEA might want to send its reclaimed wastewater into the Suwannee Basin in Water First North Florida (WFNF), according to the Florida Statutes resulting from SB 64.

All of the Suwannee Basin counties are Rural Areas of Opportunity (RAO), except Alachua County.

None of the SJRWMD counties are RAO, except Nassau in the St. Marys River Basin, and Putnam County. Not Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Flagler, Volusia, etc., or Alachua again.

And Nassau and Putnam Counties do not seem to have any Outstanding Florida Springs.

Why does this matter?

[Treated wastewater must benefit both: Outstanding Florida Spring and Rural Area of Opportunity by Florida Statutes]
Treated wastewater must benefit both: Outstanding Florida Spring and Rural Area of Opportunity by Florida Statutes

In Florida Statutes 403.064 Reuse of reclaimed water: Continue reading →

Better than treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee Basin

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Why do three unelected boards want to spend $1.1 billion for a bad solution to two water problems?

The plan is to pipe treated wastewater from the JEA Buckman wastewater plant more than 60 miles into the Suwannee Basin to replenish wetlands and raise flows and levels in springs and rivers. It’s called Water First North Florida (WFNF),1  and it’s wasteful, slow, fragile, and based on unproven technology. It also risks the health of our fragile aquifer.

If it’s clean enough to drink, Jacksonville can drink it. If it’s not, why should the Suwannee Basin accept it to contaminate wetlands, seep into groundwater where cave divers and rare species swim, and come back up in drinking water wells and springs and rivers where people and animals swim? All twelve Suwannee Basin counties have approved a resolution against WFNF and for seawater desalination or other solutions.2

The proposal is being pushed by the unelected boards of JEA (Jacksonville’s private water and wastewater utility), and the Suwannee and St. Johns River Water Management Districts (SJRWMD and SRWMD).

The $1.1 billion cost estimate does not include building the pipelines, nor the cost of obtaining rights of way, nor operational costs. Why should people in the St. Johns Basin accept likely rate increases from cost overruns, operational costs, and lawsuits about pipelines and by neighboring landowners? JEA should line up with its own customers, “JEA is dedicated to serving our customers and delivering reliable, sustainable services at reasonable rates.”3  

[Better than treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee Basin, Water First North Florida]
Better than treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee Basin, Water First North Florida

In May we heard that, “ the Water First North Florida project is being canceled in its current form . ”4  Actually, the state legislature zeroed a $20 million line item for WFNF. 5  But that’s peanuts compared to the combined $525 million already dedicated by JEA and SJRWMD, plus more promised by FDEP.

It ain’t dead yet.

People in both basins get to vote in local, state, and federal elections. WFNF should be an issue.

Continue reading →

Gibson County Park to SRSP Paddle, Suwannee River, 2026-06-27

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Join us for an eight-mile paddle on the beautiful Suwannee River with a short detour upstream to the Alapaha River Rise, where that river reemerges after traveling underground for 10 miles. We will paddle by the confluence of the the Alapaha River, as well as several springs along the way to Suwannee River State Park (SRSP).

Gibson County Park entry is free but there is a $5 fee for the State Park, fees are collected via online payment or QR code. Check SRSP’s webpage if you need more information.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 2:30 PM, Saturday, June 27, 2026

Put In: Gibson County Park, 6844 SW CR 751, Jasper, FL 32052. Right bank, west side of the river. From Jasper, Hamilton County, FL, travel southwest on Right bank. SW CR 249 to SW CR 751; turn left and boat ramp is on the right in Gibson Park, in Hamilton County.

GPS: 30.437637, -83.094031

[Gibson County Park to SRSP, Suwannee River 2026-06-27, Alapaha River Rise, Suwannee River State Park]
Gibson County Park to SRSP, Suwannee River 2026-06-27, Alapaha River Rise, Suwannee River State Park

Continue reading →

Alachua County resolution against WFNF 2026-06-09

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The most populous county participating in many Suwannee Basin forums, Alachua County has passed a resolution opposing Water First North Florida (WFNF) and proposing alternatives. Alachua is also the second county partly in the St. Johns Basin, after Baker County.

Before their unanimous vote, the Alachua County Commissioners discussed whether this resolution adequately supported the resolution by the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council (NCFRPC), which represents all twelve counties in the Suwannee River Water Management District.

Well, the Alachua County resolution doesn’t say anything about desalination, nor anything else for Jacksonville to reduce its groundwater withdrawals. It recommends limiting irrigation to only one day a week, apparently only for Alachua County.

Still, the 800-pound gorilla has spoken, and its last recommendation is:

7) evaluate alternatives to the Water First North Florida Project along with filtration and siting strategies for beneficial re-use of reclaimed water from Jacksonville.

[Alachua County resolution against WFNF 2026-06-09, Stacie Greco, landscape irrigation]
Alachua County resolution against WFNF 2026-06-09, Stacie Greco, landscape irrigation

For much more about WFNF, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

11:30 AM, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Alachua County BOCC Meeting Agenda:

  1. Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers Implementation Strategy/Water First North Florida Project Resolution – 26-00395
Continue reading →

WFNF not done yet –Florida Alligator 2026-06-14

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Update 2026-06-21: Alachua County resolution against WFNF 2026-06-09.

More on how WFNF is not done yet, including that contributing projects are still going.

Cost is one of many reasons for the massive public opposition to Water First North Florida (WFNF), the plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin.

The WFNF cost estimate was $1 billion in July 2025, but had ballooned to $1.1 billion by February 2026. That’s 10% inflation in six months.

Even that higher estimate expressly does not include the cost of the pipeline or eminent domain, not to mention likely lawsuits.

Another reason is that few people trust JEA to clean up the wastewater or to keep the pipeline system working without failures.

Another is that nobody got to vote on WFNF except the unelected boards of JEA and the St. Johns and Suwannee River Water Management Districts (SJRWMD and SRWMD).

[WFNF not done yet --Florida Alligator 2026-06-14, Stacie Greco, Alachua County, Sarah Younger, SSGSCFL]
WFNF not done yet –Florida Alligator 2026-06-14, Stacie Greco, Alachua County, Sarah Younger, SSGSCFL

Much more about WFNF here:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

Julianna Bendeck, the independent florida alligator, June 14, 2026, Why the Water First North Florida project may not be done just yet: The state cancelled the $1 billion aquifer recharge proposal amid drought conditions,

Although state officials abandoned the original Water First North Florida proposal, research associated with the project continues.

Continue reading →

Drought dire; GRU water withdrawal increase approved; no response about WFNF @ SJRWMD Board 2026-06-09

Asked directly about WFNF, what’s happening with the $125 million and have you cancelled the consultant contracts, SJRWMD had no response.

Remember that whenever somebody tries to tell you WFNF is cancelled. It’s just laying low.

That’s Water First North Florida, the plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee Basin to seep down from wetlands into the Floridan Aquifer and come back up in springs, rivers, and drinking water wells, at the June 9, 2026, meeting in Palatka of the Governing Board of the St. Johns River Water Management District.

What they did do, after their Hydrologic Conditions Report showed how dire the drought is, they approved an increase in the amount of groundwater GRU can withdraw for Gainesville.

[Drought dire, yet approved GRU water withdrawal increase, No response about WFNF @ SJRWMD Board 2026-06-09]
Drought dire, yet approved GRU water withdrawal increase, No response about WFNF @ SJRWMD Board 2026-06-09

And they praised GRU’s wastewater reclamation, i.e., Sweetwater, as a model. They didn’t say, but that’s one of the precedents cited in https://waterfirstnorthfl.com: “Similar projects like the Sweetwater Wetlands Project in Alachua County and the Black Creek Water Resource Development Project in Clay County have successfully improved water quality, restored wetland habitats, and provided community benefits – proving this approach works for North Florida.”

Nevermind that, as Suwannee County BOCC pointed out, “You assert that this method has been “proven” at the Sweetwater Wetlands Project and Black Creek Water Resource Development. That is simply not true as both of those projects use wetlands to cleanse run off — not chemically “treated” water. To be blunt, those projects are not receiving sewer water like you are planning to use for the Water First North Florida Project. Even if they were similar projects, the difference in scale compared to Water First North Florida negates any reasonable comparison.”

For more about WFNF, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

Here’s another question. Continue reading →

Help stop big box sprawl, Alachua City Hall 2026-06-22

You can help stop sprawl west of Alachua along US 441, uphill from the Santa Fe River.

[Help stop US 441 big box sprawl, Alachua City Hall, June 22, 2026]
Help stop US 441 big box sprawl, Alachua City Hall, June 22, 2026

Call, write, or go to the 6 PM, June 22, 2026, Alachua City Commission meeting.

Here’s a petition by the Suwannee-St. Johns Group of Sierra Club Florida Chapter:

https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/Florida?actionId=AR0619414&fbclid=IwY2xjawSZ_cZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFHckF4eGVwYmRlYUJ2U3lOc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkQjqONwPFpZmnp8B2Grx_yYBxP1yHJrP5HoydoDB9Y8xeqBd1Yu_wuID_cn_aem_QfdwczhEdjHfmrHbOKaPzw Continue reading →

Speak about WFNF, Taxes, etc. at SJRWMD Board 2026-06-09

Update 2026-06-18: Drought dire; GRU water withdrawal increase approved; no response about WFNF @ SJRWMD Board 2026-06-09.

You can speak about WFNF, taxes, etc. at the SJRWMD Governing Board Meeting,

10 AM, Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Board Room, SJRWMD District Headquarters, 4049 Reid Street, Palatka, FL 32177

Don’t be late: 5. Public Comment is very early on the agenda.

So far, the Suwannee River Water Management Districdt (SRWMD) has no comment on the alleged cancellation of WFNF. We’ve heard nothing at all from the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), which has dedicated $125 million to WFNF. Maybe you’d like to ask them what they are doing with WFNF.

How much of SJRWMD’s own tax revenue comes from property tax, and how much of that will be affected if the voters in November approve the Florida Homestead Property Tax Exemption?

[Speak about WFNF, Taxes, etc., at SJRWMD Board 2026-06-09, Or GRU 15% increase groundwater withdrawal affecting Suwannee Basin]
Speak about WFNF, Taxes, etc., at SJRWMD Board 2026-06-09, Or GRU 15% increase groundwater withdrawal affecting Suwannee Basin

Public Comment is right after this item:

  1. Consideration: Approve Consumptive Use Permit 11339-8, known as Murphree WTP – GRU. This application is a renewal of an existing public supply permit with an increase in the Upper Floridan aquifer groundwater allocation from 30.0 million gallons per day (mgd) to 34.592 mgd, through the year 2056.

That’s a 15% increase from 2056 for Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU). From the same Upper Floridan Aquifer everybody drinks from in the Suwannee Basin. With direct effects on the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers and Associated Priority Springs minimum flows and levels, as spelled out later in the board packet.

There is no mention of PFAS forever chemicals or pharmaceuticals being removed from the “reclaimed” wastewater that ends up in the aquifer. One of the reclaimed wastewater routes goes through Sweetwater Wetlands Park, which WFNF claims as a precedent.

Maybe you’d like to talk about that.

On packet page 9: Continue reading →