by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
City Council member Lake Ray wants to take the lead in blocking any attempts to siphon water from Jacksonville and send it south. Nothing has been introduced yet, but a rumored proposal may come before the State Legislature as early as next week.
“We want to be proactive about this,” said Ray who introduced a preventive ordinance before the Council’s Transportation, Technology, Environment & Energy Committee on Wednesday.
In essence, Ray is proposing a law requiring outside cities to connect to Duval County’s water reserves by a direct service, not as an extension from an existing line.
“If it leaves Duval County or JEA service areas, we would make it very costly for them, and it won’t be a very attractive option,” said Ray, who estimated a cost of $30 to $40 dollar per linear foot would be incurred. “Without something like this in place, those areas further south will be able to connect to one of the lines we already have in place for much less.”
With no model cities with similar pricing systems available to use as a guide, Jacksonville would serve as the pilot.
Ray, who chairs the TTEE Committee, said a governor-appointed business group known as the Council of 100 will likely suggest the formation of a State water commission whose ultimate goal would be to take water from municipalities north of Interstate 4 and redirect it to cities farther south who have problems with their aquifers and subsequent water shortages.
He added that, if the ordinance is approved, southern cities, including Miami, will have to defer to alternative and costly measures, including desalinization and other purification treatments.
“It’s definitely expensive to do that,” he said. “But we need to look after our resources and services so we’re not in the same boat in a few years.”
The bill comes on the heels of a unanimously approved Council resolution urging Gov. Jeb Bush to “keep things the way they are” and uphold a “local source first policy” when dealing with water resources.
“[This new ordinance] can be modified later on, but we as a Council want something on record before any recommendations come up before the State,” said Ray. “I’d like to get it passed as an emergency if I can because we need to be protected.
“If a special legislative meeting is planned for October, the Jacksonville community should be concerned,” said Ray. “We don’t want a South Florida problem to become a statewide problem, and we don’t want to be in a reactive position if a new Water Commission is formed.
“In my opinion, it will only exacerbate the problem.”
Currently there are more than a half-dozen Water Management Commissions in place throughout Florida that, according to Ray, already look at water and water quality in the State.
“Why would we even need a new commission?” said Ray. “What would that do to the groups we have now? It raises a lot of questions.”
Council member and Land Use and Zoning Committee Chair Jerry Holland supported Ray’s ordinance saying, “We don’t want to complicate [other Cities’] problems and create a new one for us.”
“Is that really fair?” said Holland. “It could cause problems for us, and I’m sure Georgia wouldn’t want us to tap into their water either.”