FAQ's
When is the St. Johns River Water Management District’s deadline for limited groundwater withdrawals in Central Florida?
Starting in 2013, new or increased groundwater withdrawals will not be permitted in Central Florida, and water users will be required to develop alternative water supply sources to meet their needs. These limitations are happening throughout Florida, as groundwater supplies get more and more limited. And similar restrictions will probably be imposed in the northern half of the St. Johns River Water Management District within the next few years.
Is Seminole County the first to use the St. Johns River for water?
No, currently users in Brevard, Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Putnam, Flagler, St. Johns and Duval Counties use water from the St. Johns River.
Are you pulling water from the St. Johns for lawn irrigation?
Of the 5.5 million gallons per day of water that we are requesting to withdraw from the St. Johns, about 20 percent will be used to supplement our reclaimed water supply. The rest will go toward potable — or drinking — water supplies.
Can’t we conserve water and postpone the development of alternative water sources?
Conservation is extremely important. However, the amount of time it will take to get everyone on board with conservation extends beyond our need to provide new sources. You see, long-held water use practices cannot be changed overnight.
What about desal? Isn’t that an option for Seminole County?
Seawater desalination will eventually play a role in our region’s water supply solutions. But for inland communities, such as Seminole County, the cost of seawater desalination is much greater than for coastal communities. It would get very expensive to transport the water from the coast to our community. Additionally, the current technologies required to desalinate seawater can be energy intensive, which also impacts cost.
I’ve heard this project called the “camel’s nose beneath the tent.” Will additional withdrawals come and, if so, when?
The current project up for permitting proposes to use 5.5 million gallons per day of water from the St. Johns. That’s it. Nothing more.
However, planning for a regional project has been underway for the past two years, and has included meetings with local governments, environmental advocacy groups, community groups and businesses. But there are still many variables that must be decided upon and we’re not sure what the final project will look like. We do know that a permit for a regional project will be separate from the one that Seminole County is currently in the process of obtaining from the St. Johns River Water Management District. And the public will have the opportunity to provide input concerning this separate permit application.
Why is challenging the permit such a bad thing?
The organizations challenging the project are spending taxpayer money on a project that has been part of the St. Johns River Water Management District’s long-term water supply plan for 7 years. Some of those challenging the permit even participated in developing the regional water supply plan.
These groups claim there’s not enough science and that withdrawing water will severely impact the River. Additionally, one group has suggested that the St. Johns River Water Management District and Seminole County are “in collusion” to issue the permit and a future permit. Right now, no other permit has been submitted to the Water Management District. It’s 5.5 million gallons per day. That’s it.
So taxpayer dollars are being spent to fight a project that’s based on sound scientific data and analysis, uses a small amount of water from the River, and was discussed as part of an intensive public process. And perhaps more importantly, the legal battle delays a project that protects our groundwater supplies and our environment.
Has the St. Johns River Water Management District completed the necessary science to approve the permit?
The St. Johns River Water Management District has studied the St. Johns River since 1995. They’ve set Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs) at five different sites along the River, including one set downstream of our proposed facility.
Their comprehensive, long-term studies have shown that the River could provide up to 155 million gallons per day of water without harming the River’s ecosystem. However, the River is a dynamic system. Any permit issued by the St. Johns River Water Management District to use the River will require a periodic re-evaluation of the underlying scientific studies every five years, and the St. Johns River Water Management District has the legal authority to modify or reduce our permitted use should these studies show that less water is available.
Additionally, the St. Johns River Water Management District recently commenced a new two-year scientific study of the River to validate its prior studies. Seminole County fully supports this new study because we recognize that decisions as to how much water should be withdrawn from the St. Johns River should be based on good science and not unfounded fears and concerns.
