Central Florida’s population is expected to grow at such a rapid pace that a plan is currently in the works to make sure the region doesn’t run out of water.The proposal calls for siphoning off more than 100 million gallons of fresh water a day from the St. Johns River.
It’s an easy fix, says St. Johns Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman, but it’s definitely not the right one.
“They’ve been eyeballing the St Johns River as a source for a long time because it’s one of the cheaper water sources but it’s not sustainable," said Rinaman.
"If you withdraw the millions of gallons of water from the St. Johns as proposed in this plan, you’re going to have severe water quality issues."
READ: The Central Florida Water Initiative plan to siphon water from the St. Johns River
Rinaman added that water quality hasn’t been a consideration in any analysis she’s seen.
Because of the potential impact on the First Coast, the Central Florida Water Initiative will hold a public hearing on the proposed plan Thursday night in Palatka.
The deadline to submit public comments is January 31st.
St. Johns Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman will be on First Coast Connect Thursday morning (Jan. 16) to talk about Florida’s water supply dilemma in advance of the meeting.
You can follow Cyd Hoskinson on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
