by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
It’s no secret the City of Jacksonville and the St. Johns Riverkeeper have filed legal challenges to prevent Seminole County from starting what some in Northeast Florida perceive as a methodical raping of the St. Johns River.
What many may not know is how Seminole County through its Yankee Lake water treatment facility plans to use the water.
“The 5.5 million gallons (planned for withdrawal each day) is not for drinking water,” Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon told the Jacksonville Waterways Commission Thursday. “That water is to irrigate lawns. This is not about drinking water. It’s about taking water from the St. Johns River to water lawns.”
Armingeon and others concerned with the long-range effects of massive withdrawals by Central Florida insist the permit that was recommended to be issued to Seminole County by the St. Johns River Water Management District is the first of many. While none of the permits may be for huge amounts of water on a daily basis, it’s the cumulative effects that cause worry among many in Northeast Florida.
“I can tell you, everyone is looking at this permit,” said Armingeon. “This is the first (permit) under the Alternate Water Supply (act). There are 17 other utility associations in Yankee Lake. That’s a potential of 85 million gallons a day.”
Jason Teal of the Office of General Counsel said the Seminole County permit has a lifespan of 20 years. Aside from the 110 million gallons the original permit would allow, Teal said the City is filing to have the permit rescinded because no one seems to know — or won’t tell — the long-term effects of the withdrawal on the environment in North Florida and especially Duval County, the terminus of the river.
“The City filed a challenge basically alleging that we simply don’t know the effects, especially in the lower basin,” said Teal.
There are several other factors. According to Teal, the permit isn’t in the best interest of the public, and a requirement of the permit says the lowest-quality water is to be used for the intended purposes. Fresh water from the St. Johns is not the lowest-quality water in Central Florida.
Additionally, Teal said the biggest problem overall is the unknown ecological issues that may arise as the line where brackish water interfaces with fresh water shifts further upstream as the river is siphoned.
“There are ecosystems that depend on that interface. That line will move south,” said Teal, adding the State Legislature will consider a statewide water guidelines bill during the current session. “Seminole County has no immediate need for water. It makes sense to wait for statewide guidance. By 2013, local governments will have to come up with new water sources. But, the science needs to come first.”
Teal said the meeting planned by Seminole County officials for Thursday to discuss the permit and water issues in general was canceled at the last minute by the Seminole County Commission.
“It seems the only point of the meeting was to talk us out of suing them,” he said. “Since there’s no way that’s going to happen, they canceled the meeting.”
In addition to battling legally, Armingeon and others argue the best way to address future water shortages is to address water usage now. One way to do that, many Waterways Commission members agreed, is to examine local homeowners associations and their strict regulations regarding members’ lawns and the appearance of those lawns.
Commission and City Council member Ray Holt admitted he belongs to a neighborhood association that requires everyone to have a St. Augustine grass lawn — a type of grass that requires lots to water to remain healthy.
“It’s killing me in the summer when I have $200 and $300 water bills,” said Holt, adding he has talked with Teal about creating an ordinance that would help alleviate that requirement.
Holt also said he would talk to Council Vice President Ronnie Fussell about going through the Northeast Florida Builders Association to prevent such requirements in the future.
“Homeowners associations covenants don’t trump the City Code,” said Waterways member and attorney Susan Grandin.
Teal said often those covenants and accompanying restrictions are contractual. He said the City would be very “hesitant” to start regulating the types of grass residents can have for lawns.
“If it’s grass this time, what’s next?” said Teal, adding the best approach would be to convince the homeowners associations to ease up on their requirements of their own accord.
In other news from the meeting:
• The Commission approved an ordinance that appropriates $14.7 million from the Water Managment District to replace failing septic tanks in two Jacksonville neighborhoods. Of that funding, a vast majority would go towards replacing tanks in the Oakwood Villas and Lincoln Villas neighborhoods and hooking those areas up to water and sewer services provided by JEA.
“This is moving better than we originally anticipated,” said John Flowe of the City’s Environmental Compliance Department. Flowe said the bill has been approved by three Council committees and he expects Mayor John Peyton to sign the legislation March 21.
Both projects are slated for completion by September of 2009.
• Quinton White, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Jacksonville University, said manatees have started to reappear in the area. The water temperature in the Intracoastal Waterway has topped the 60-degree mark, which White says is imperative for manatees. He said three adult manatees and one calf were spotted a week ago.
“Last year, we had a record number of manatees early,” said White.