SUWANNEE COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV) – Residents are weighing in on a North Florida water project that could impact the Suwannee River.
The “Water First North Florida Project” will be discussed at a public open house on Thursday, with officials saying it could help meet water demand and restore the river and aquifer.
Community members gathered at the Live Oak Public Library on Wednesday night to voice their concerns and learn more about what’s going on ahead of Thursday’s meeting.
On Wednesday, the Lower Withlacoochee and Upper Suwannee River task force, made up of 12 counties, with one county commissioner from each, voted unanimously to pass a resolution against the Water First North Florida project.
“Our job is to leave things better than the way we found them, and I just have to have assurance that’s what we’re doing,” Suwannee County commissioner Don Hale said.
According to a statement from the Suwannee River Water Management District, which is collaborating on the project, “The project aims to use high-quality reclaimed water…further treat it through a wetland filtration system…and then recharge it into the Floridan Aquifer.”
According to a map on their website, water would leave the Jacksonville area and be brought to north central Florida to be filtered through a wetland area.
Suwannee County Commissioner Don Hale says he still doesn’t have enough information.
“I guess I just need more education on how this would work, and you know, assurance that it’s not going to affect future, you know, citizens of Florida and our community.”
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But according to Suwannee Riverkeeper Jon S. Quarterman, he says it’s a project to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River basin. He says while they’re trying to address growing water demand…there need to be other options than using the Suwannee River.
“The obvious solution, which apparently they don’t want to do because they don’t like the cost, build a pipe to run the brine way offshore and way deep into the sea. Now, I don’t know how much that would cost, a billion dollars, because that’s the price of this water first north florida project they’re proposing,” Quarterman said.
Quarterman says the project raises concerns for many people, including cost and possible health impacts. He says there are still too many unanswered questions.
“That’s one of the biggest problems, there’s so many things that just aren’t known yet, this thing is barrelling along,” Quarterman says. “By their optimistic scenario, they wouldn’t start sending anything through the pipe for 13 years, so how they doing such a humongous plan when they know so little?”
District officials say in that same statement, “Water First North Florida is the most protective, long-term solution…with the greatest environmental benefit…to restore and protect our natural water resources.”
The Suwannee River Water Management District will hold an open house on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. At the North Florida Research and Education Center in Live Oak. They say they’ll be answering questions and working to dispel misinformation.
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