Today the SRWMD Governing Board met at headquarters in Live Oak to conduct the business of the management district. Multiple OSFR members were present along with President Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson who came in front of the board to request the moratorium on large water use permits, 100,000 gallon per day or more, until the science shows that withdraws will have no harm. The science shows now, with the recently completed MFLs in the lower Santa Fe River and Ichetucknee River that they are in recovery when those MFLs are issued and therefore no new permits should be issued. There will also be sound science with the soon- to-be installed 25 aquifer monitoring wells.
Among the many points of interest presented at the meeting, we learned that of the thousands of wells in the district, the 100 wells drawing the largest amounts of water comprise about 40 percent of the total allocations. Dr. Weatherington estimated that about 60 percent of these were monitored.
Good news is that February left the district with high groundwater overall, with a scarcity in the state only in the extreme northwest and south. The Floridan aquifer had the highest February level since l998. Further discussion on the water contamination problem in Valdosta was carried on.
Additional happy news is that the Governing Board proclaimed April, 2015 Water Conservation Month. Also, the board proclaimed March 8-14, 2015 Groundwater Awareness Week.