SJRWMD Board to Decide St. Johns River's Fate
On April 13th, the Governing Board of the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) will vote on a permit from Seminole County to withdraw an average of 5.5 million gallons of water a day (MGD) from the St. Johns River. Seminole County's Yankee Lake facility would eventually be able to withdraw up to 55 MGD.This initial permit from Seminole County represents the beginning of an Alternative Water Supply (AWS) program that could eventually result in the withdrawal of over 260 MGD from the St. Johns and Ocklawaha.
Click here to read our factsheet and learn more about the proposed water withdrawals from the St. Johns River and Ocklawaha River, a major tributary of the St. Johns.
Here are 2 things that you can do to help:
1. Join us on April 13th at the Governing Board meeting to show your opposition to water withdrawals and support for water conservation.
| What: | Special Meeting of SJRWMD Governing Board |
| When: | Monday, April 13th, 1:00 p.m. |
| Where: |
SJRWMD Headquarters 4049 Reid Street Palatka, FL 32177 |
Click here for more information about the meeting on April 13th and directions to the SJRWMD headquarters in Palatka.
We have also chartered a bus to take concerned citizens from Jacksonville to Palatka for the meeting. To reserve a seat on the bus, e-mail Neil Armingeon, the St. Johns Riverkeeper, at narming@ju.edu with "Bus Trip" in the subject line.
2. Send an e-mail to the Governing Board members and to Governor Crist by following the directions below.
Call to Action
Dear Governor Crist and Governing Board Members:
I am opposed to any proposals to withdrawal water from the St. Johns River or Ocklawaha River. Removing millions of gallons of water each day will potentially worsen existing pollution problems, increase salinity levels, and adversely impact the fisheries, wildlife and vegetation in and along these waterways.
Please, do not make any decisions on water withdrawal permits until the cumulative impact assessment that is currently underway is completed.
I am also deeply concerned that the St. Johns River Water Management District continues to issue consumptive use permits (CUPs) that are not consistent with its mission to "ensure the sustainable use and protection of water resources for the benefit of the people of the District and the state of Florida." We urge you to oppose the Niagara Bottling permit and any other permits that could potentially be detrimental to our overall collective well-being or to our rivers, lakes, springs, wetlands or aquifer.
Instead, I urge you to support aggressive water conservation programs and to implement policy changes that will ensure the sustainable use and protection of our water resources.
Use the following contact information, if you would like to write your own individual letter to Governor Crist and the Governing Board of the St. Johns River Water Management District.
Governor Charlie Crist
PL-05 The Capitol, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com
SJRWMD Governing Board Members
4049 Reid Street, Palatka, FL 32177
David Graham, Chairman dgraham@sjrwmd.com
Susan Hughes shughes@sjrwmd.com
Ann Moore, Secretary amoore@sjrwmd.com
W. Leonard Wood wlwood@sjrwmd.com
Arlen Jumper ajumper@sjrwmd.com
Hersey Huffman hhuffman@sjrwmd.com
Michael Ertel mertel@sjrwmd.com
Douglas Bournique dbournique@sjrwmd.com
Hans G. Tanzler III htanzler@sjrwmd.com
Use the following links to contact other elected officials and legislators about the water withdrawal issue:
Florida House of Representatives
Florida State Senators
Jacksonville Mayor
Duval County City Council
St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners
Clay County Commissioners
Putnam County Governement Site
Learn More
(.pdf format)- St. Johns River Water Withdrawal Fact Sheet
- Find Out What You Can Do
