Sweetwater Wetlands Park | WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

Public Comment is right after this item:

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:

GRU operates two wastewater reclamation facilities (WRF). The Main Street Water Reclamation Facility (MSWRF) is located on the south side of the City of Gainesville. This facility discharges high-quality secondary treated water into Sweetwater Branch, which flows through the Sweetwater Wetlands park and then to Paynes Prairie before ultimately discharging to Alachua Sink, where recharge of the Floridan aquifer occurs. The MSWRF is undergoing a $170 million Capacity and Renewal Upgrade (CRU) project that will increase the facility’s treatment capacity by 2.5 mgd. As part of this effort, GRU will commit an additional 2.35 mgd of reclaimed water from the MSWRF to Sweetwater Wetlands Park by 2046. This increased flow will continue downstream to Alachua Sink, providing enhanced recharge to the Floridan aquifer. The CRU project is expected to be operational in 2030 and qualifies as a new water resource development project utilizing reclaimed water that meets advanced waste treatment standards for total nitrogen and total phosphorus for the requested 30-year permit duration in accordance with Section 373.250 Florida Statutes.

GRU’s other WRF, the Kanapaha Water Reclamation Facility (KWRF), is located on the southwest side of the City of Gainesville. The KWRF supplies public access reclaimed water to residences, commercial sites, and golf courses within the service area KWRF also supplies reclaimed water to water features and recharge wetlands that provide environmental enhancement and groundwater recharge. Reclaimed water is also used to recharge the Lower Floridan aquifer via four recharge wells. Finally, reclaimed water will be routed to the Southwest Nature Park (SWNP), once it is operational in 2029. The SWNP is a collaborative project involving Alachua County, SRWMD and FDEP and is expected to provide up to 3 mgd via treatment wetlands and, ultimately recharging the Upper Floridan aquifer.

GRU operates two wastewater reclamation facilities (WRF), 2026-06-09 –SJRWMD Board
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SJRWMD explicitly acknowledges the connection to the Suwannee Basin on pages 12 and 13:

Minimum Flows and Levels:

GRU will offset its share of impact to the Lower Sante Fe and Ichetucknee River and Associated Priority Springs (LSFI) Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs) under both the current and forthcoming LSFI MFLs and criteria in rule 62-42.300, F.A.C. (as ratified in Chapter 2026-2, Laws of Florida).
GRU has committed to offsetting its share of impacts to existing MFLs with the following projects:

Kanapaha Recharge Wells
Sweetwater Wetland Park
GRU Recharge Wetlands and Ponds such as:

KWRF Wetlands
Chapmans Trails Pond
Kanapaha Middle School Wetland
Kanapaha Botanical Gardens

MSWRF CRU Project

The applicant has agreed to purchase additional lift associated with the District’s Black Creek Water Resource Development Project to address its share of impact to the Keystone Heights MFLs (Lakes Brooklyn and Geneva).
GRU must continue to demonstrate that its share of all existing and future MFLs Prevention and Recovery Strategies are offset.
The proposed use has been determined not to potentially impact any OFS. Thus, Rules 62-41.400 – 62-41.402, F.A.C., and section 2.3(j), A.H., have been met. With the projects described above, the proposed use will not cause harm under section 2.3(h), A.H., and will meet rule 62-42.300, F.A.C., provided permit conditions are met.

Water Resources Impact Evaluation: and Minimum Flows and Levels:, 2026-06-09 –SJRWMD Board
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Water Reserved from Use:, 2026-06-09 –SJRWMD Board
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That effect of GRU groundwater withdrawals on the Suwannee Basin is quantified on pages 28-30:

Permittee’s total offset (or “flow”) to address its proportionate share of impact to the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee River and Associated Priority Springs (LSFI) MFLs, as established by rule 62-42.300(1), F.A.C., effective June 10, 2015, is:
Ft. White Gauge
12.18 cfs of flow at the Ft. White gauge which is comprised of 1.96 cfs resulting from Permittee’s average water use for the years 2014-2018 and 10.22 cfs for the Permittee’s water use over and above the years 2014-2018;
Ichetucknee River US Highway 27 Gauge
0.67 cfs of flow at the Ichetucknee River US Highway 27 gauge which is comprised of 0.10 cfs resulting from Permittee’s average water use for the years 2014-2018 and 0.57cfs for Permittee’s water use over and above the years 2014- 2018. The Permittee’s projects referenced below provide 0.71 cfs of flow at this gauge; however, only 0.67 cfs shall be credited toward the Permittee’s impact offset.
The following projects collectively provide 12.18 cfs of flow at the Lower Santa Fe River Fort White gauge and 0.71 cfs of flow at the Ichetucknee River US Highway 27 gauge. The determination of the amount of flow needed to offset the impact at the LSFI MFL gauges from Permittee’s water use is based on the Permittee’s allocation of 34.6 mgd and the GRU Subregional groundwater model (2022) simulations and calculations completed by the Permittee and received by the District on March 10, 2026. The files associated with the model simulations have been filed with District Item no. 1548240.
The Permittee has elected to construct and committed to operate the following offset projects at the associated projected flows as a means of addressing its proportional share of the required recovery at the Ft. White and Ichetucknee River US Highway 27 Gauge LSFI MFLs:

5.07 mgd associated with recharge wells located at Kanapaha Water Reclamation Facility (KWRF), receiving reclaimed water from KWRF;
6.27 mgd by the year 2046 associated with recharge to Sweetwater Wetlands Park, Paynes Prairie, and Alachua sink, receiving reclaimed water from Main Street Water Reclamation Facility (MSWRF);
0.93 mgd associated with the GRU Recharge Wetland and Ponds Project which includes:

Groundwater recharge wetlands at KWRF, receiving reclaimed water from KWRF;
Chapmans Trails Pond groundwater recharge water feature, receiving reclaimed water from KWRF;
Kanapaha Middle School recharge wetlands, receiving reclaimed water from KWRF; and
Water feature at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, receiving reclaimed water from KWRF.

Permittee has not committed to operating the above referenced offset projects at volumes greater than the above referenced projected flows. Thus, these offset projects do not make water available beyond the quantities stated above. If factors outside of the GRU’s control prevent GRU from meeting the flows, GRU may provide a revised plan for meeting the LSFI MFLs for District approval. If Permittee elects to modify its wellfield locations or its wellfield operation plan in a manner that materially deviates from the aforementioned model simulation, Permittee and the District will use the GRU Subregional groundwater model (2022) to determine if any additional deficit in the LSFI MFLs will be caused by
Permittee’ s revised wellfield locations or operation plan. In addition, if Permittee elects to modify this permit for any other reason, or if Permittee elects to renew this permit, the GRU Subregional groundwater model (2022) or alternative groundwater flow models may be utilized for the determination of deficits and benefits.

38.Permittee’s total offset (or “flow”) to address its proportionate share of impact to the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee River and Associated Priority Springs (LSFI) MFLs, as established by rule 62-42.300(1), F.A.C., effective June 10, 2015, is:, 2026-06-09 –SJRWMD Board
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Page 29, 2026-06-09 –SJRWMD Board
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Page 30, 2026-06-09 –SJRWMD Board
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There are more images below.

-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/

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

A healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.

Tag Archives: Sweetwater Wetlands Park

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

AG-2026-06-09

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