by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Water withdrawal and the overall health of the St. Johns River has been a hot — and emotional topic — for many people in Northeast Florida over the past few years.
Members of The Meninak Club of Jacksonville heard some of the facts from the process as well as ongoing issues moving forward from Susan Hughes, St. Johns Water Management District board chair, during their weekly meeting Monday.
Hughes discussed some of the current issues with protecting the resource as the groundwater supplies, where 90 percent of usable water is attained, is dwindling. The area is about 300 million gallons a day short, she said, when looking at the long-term growth picture heading toward 2030.
The problem isn’t isolated to just Northeast Florida, she added, but the need to find diversified sources of water is great.
“Ground water is simply not going to be able to sustain demands,” she said, adding that other potential sources such as reclaimed and sea water could be used with differing costs.
Hughes was also at the heart of the Seminole County water withdrawal permit decision, allowing up to 5.5 million gallons a day for usage, something she called a “galvanizing moment.”
The decisive meeting by the board was the most attended meeting in the organization’s history, she said, with figures like Mayor John Peyton present and emotions running wild. But, after separating the facts from the emotional nature of the decision, she voted to approve the permit — with critics arguing Hughes was the “swing vote.”
“It was very emotional,” she said of the time, “but one-quarter of one percent out of the river at that point (was determined) to not negatively impact its health.”
She said the cries that Seminole County was simply going to seek a permit to withdraw more water would be met with the same kind of study and vetting as “every request will have to undergo the same process” and not be rubber-stamped.
“The river is very precious and we want to protect it,” she said.
A three-year river study that’s currently underway will give unprecedented and vital information on the river, she said, and will add to projects such as effects of dredging and salinity, which will add insight to economic items like Jacksonville Port Authority projects.
Through the turmoil that’s surrounded issues like water withdrawal and river health has been tough, there has been a positive, she said. Now, water issues are often front and center of public dialogue as people have come to realize how precious the resource has become and the need to protect and conserve.
On average, people each use 100 gallons of water a day, and if the number was cut in half, the problem wouldn’t evaporate — but it would be a big help.
“I just think we can be a little smarter about how we use,” she said.
The downturn in the economy has taken many of the headlines away from water issues, she believes, but they will return when times get better. When they do crop back up, the fizzling of the “regional wars” idea that have spawned between counties over water issues and the continued need for conservation are pieces she’d like to see back at the forefront.
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