There appear to be some good projects here, such as the wetlands expansion, the wastewater treatment plants and septic tank upgrades. Others not so much such as the dairy cost share at $2.5 million for what the business should do on its own. It is wrong for the district to give permits to pollute and then pay the permit holder to reduce pollution.
That being said, here we have another $14 million mostly going in the wrong direction. Our millions should be going to correcting our abuses and restoring our springs and rivers by drastically reducing groundwater pumping and the pollutants going onto the ground.
This will require a totally new mindset and thinking, which is beyond our current legislators, governor, DEP and water agencies.
Read the original article in the Lake City Reporter for May 13, 2022.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
SRWMD backs Lake City, Fort White springs projects
Staff report
LIVE OAK — The Suwannee River Water Management District Governing Board recommended nine North Florida springs protection projects that will total approximately $14.1 million, including a pair of Columbia County projects and one in Hamilton County.
SRWMD staff considered a total of 17 projects before recommending nine projects be sent to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for review and selection, which the board approved at its Tuesday meeting. Recommended projects include five local government projects, one dairy project, and three districtwide projects.
Among the recommended projects are a $6.1 million recharge wetland expansion for the City of Lake City. The project proposes to expand the city’s existing recharge wetland by adding a 53-acre treatment and recharge area to reduce nitrogen in treated wastewater. That project would begin at the start of 2023 and is expected to last until the end of 2028, according to district information.
The other Columbia C o u n t y project is a $1.48 million regional wastewater treatment facility for the Town of Fort White and southern Columbia County. The proposed project would be the second phase of a wastewater treatment plant — the first has already been funded — to expand wastewater service
to other portions of town, including both Fort White Elementary and Fort White High schools and the residential area.
In Hamilton County, the Town of White Springs was recommended $500,000 for a wastewater treatment facility effluent flow-through pond, which would improve water quality with reclaimed wastewater and water recharge. According to water management project information, the project would address a consent order issued by DEP for the town to reduce nitrogen levels. “With more than 450 springs in our region, it is critical that we work with local governments and our community partners to protect our springs through projects like these,” Hugh Thomas, SRWMD executive director, said in a release….
According to the district, the project development process is a collaborative effort with FDEP, water management districts, community leaders, and local stakeholders. Projects are selected based on benefits for improving water quality, increasing water flow, and protecting Florida’s iconic springs.
Other recommended projects include $2 million for agricultural springs protection across the district; $300,000 for dispersed storage for recharge and alternative water supply across the district; $2.5 million to convert a Fanning Springs dairy from grazing to freestall barns; $800,000 for a lime rock mine acquisition in High Springs; $250,000 in rebates for property owners to upgrade septic tank systems in Alachua County; and $200,000 to evaluate silviculture practices across the district to increase groundwater recharge. $7.5M in funding would go to expand wastewater efforts.
