Friday, September 23, 2011

Barnett was Guest on Connor Calling - NPR Radio Show

Cynthia Barnett, author of "Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S.", and author of a new book, "Blue Revolution: Unmaking America's Water Crisis", was Hank Conner's guest on the WUFT 89.1 radio show, "Connor Calling", on Friday, September 30th at 1:00 pm.
Barnett is an award-winning journalist who argues for defining a water ethic for America and brings a great deal of information and innovation to the topic of water and its use and conservation.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Next LAWA Meeting

Our next meeting of the Lake Area Water Alliance will be held at 6:00 pm, Thursday, September 29th, at the Keystone Heights Womans Club.
Public is invited and anyone interested in this cause is welcome to participate. Bring a friend!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

DONATIONS

LAKE AREA WATER ALLIANCE
"Restoring and protecting our lakes"
Post Office Box 571
Keystone Heights, FL 32656
LakeAreaWaterAlliance@gmail.com

Dear Neighbor:

Lake Area Water Alliance (LAWA) is a non-profit, non-political, charitable alliance dedicated solely to the restoration, preservation and protection of our threatened area lakes and declining aquifer levels.

Our once beautiful lakes are disappearing along with the recreational opportunities we enjoyed; things that made our way of life special. Boating, water skiing, fishing for that trophy bass, abundant wildlife and nature viewing have vanished, replaced by useless docks, grim reminders of falling property values, times gone by, and a lost quality of life.

LAWA, in partnership with community businesses, civic organizations, the City of Keystone Heights and Clay County, are raising funds to carry on the vital work necessary to restore and protect our lakes and aquifer. To be successful in protecting our lakes, hydrologic, technical and professional consultants will be needed as we develop a Lake Recovery Program in cooperation with the St. Johns River Water Management District and other Stakeholders.

We have the opportunity and dedication to get the job done, but we need your help. Give our lakes a chance; please donate to insure that we continue to have a strong and effective voice in representing our future water resources and the best interests of area residents and businesses.


YES! I want to help restore and protect our lakes and aquifer by donating
$10 $15 $20 $25 $50 $100 OTHER AMOUNT_________

Please make your check payable to: LAWA and mail to
Lake Area Water Allliance, P.O. Box 571, Keystone Heights, FL 32656

Thank you for your consideration,

Jackie Host, President

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Member Organizations of LAWA

The following is a list of the member organizations represented at the Lake Area Water Alliance:
  • Garden Club of the Lakes
  • City of Keystone Heights
  • Lake Brooklyn Civic Association
  • Woman’s Club of Keystone Heights
  • Save Our Lakes Organization
  • Santa Fe Audubon Society
  • Santa Fe Lake Dwellers Association
  • American Legion
  • Keystone Heights Sportsman’s Club
  • Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc.
  • Lake Elizabeth Home Owners Assoc.
  • Melrose Business and Civic Assoc.

LAWA Officers

Officers of the Lake Area Water Alliance include:
  • Jackie Host, President (GCL)
  • Vivian Katz, Vice President (SOLO)
  • Webb Farber, Secretary (LBCA)
  • Deirdre Murphy, Board Member (WCKH)
  • Terry Brant, Board Member (SFLDA)

Monday, September 19, 2011

May 1, 2011 Letter to Gov. Rick Scott & Mr Kirby Green, Exec. Dir. SJRWMD

Dear Governor Scott and Mr. Green:

Attached are petitions and signatures from approximately 711 individuals who are seriously concerned about the health of the lakes in the Keystone Heights and Melrose area.  The lakes have been critically low in this region for many years and this has adversely affected aquatic plants, reptiles, fish, birds and other wildlife that depend on them for survival.  A vibrant economy based on people coming to our clear, beautiful lakes for recreation has collapsed.  Restaurants, mortgage brokers, real estate firms, and other business have had to close their doors.  People’s retirement dreams, lifetime investments of a home on a lake and property values have also dried up along with the lakes.

We implore you to protect our region’s threatened lakes and endangered water resources as you are charged to do by the very position that you hold.  We ask that you implement studies necessary for the rehabilitation and recovery of our lakes and to reject any proposed rules or legislative changes or allow any huge consumptive use permits or other pumpage from the Floridan Aquifer that would further harm the lakes.  We very much appreciate the SJRWMD’s effort to encourage water conservation at all levels of use and strongly support policies which require water pumped from the Aquifer to be recycled and reused as much as possible.

Whereas, it is well known that the State of Florida is facing a water shortage and the lakes in the area of Keystone Heights and Melrose region are a high recharge source for the Floridan Aquifer, we feel it would greatly benefit our state to restore these lakes which would in turn recharge the Aquifer.

Sincerely,

Jackie Host, President,                      &                  Vivien Katz, President
Garden Club of the Lakes                                      Save Our Lakes Organization

On Behalf of Citizens Concerned About the Declining Lakes in the Region of Keystone Heights & Melrose Who Have Signed the Attached Petitions and Letters of Objection.

Cc:   David Fisk, Asst. Executive Director
SJRWMD Board Members-

W. Leonard Wood, Chairman
Hans G. Tanzler III, Vice Chairman
 
Maryam H. Ghyabi, Treasurer

John A. Miklos, Secretary
Douglas C. Bournique
Richard G. Hamann
Arlen N. Jumper
Lad Daniels
Chuck Drake

Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Herschel T. Vinyard Jr., Secretary
Melissa L. Meeker, Deputy Secretary
May 3, 2011

The St. Johns River Water Management District has to its credit finally recognized that area lakes are in need of protection and that Lake Geneva does not currently meet all of its Minimum Flow Level’s (MFL’s) based on historic water level data. This finding requires that the lake be placed in recovery and protective status expeditiously. The District has also recognized that area lakes are suffering from over pumping in addition to the lack of rainfall.

The Lake Area Water Alliance has been formed for the sole purpose of uniting the grass roots organizations in the Keystone Heights and Melrose area so that the community has a larger voice in standing up for water conservation and, the rehabilitation and recovery of the lakes in our region when they meet government agencies and elected officials. Representatives from 13 local organizations have been meeting for educational and strategy sessions. Some of the members attended a very productive meeting with SJRWMD staff last week to discuss the huge consumptive use permit (CUP) being requested by the Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) from Duval County.

A Board meeting of the Management District will be held on May 10 at their Palatka headquarters to decide whether to approve the JEA’s permit to pump 165 million gallons of water a day from the Floridan Aquifer or approve their staff’s technical staff’s recommendation which reduces the pumpage allowed and includes conditions to recycle, reuse and participate in strategy for recovery of the lakes in our area.

The Alliance is asking that as many people as possible show up at this meeting to show they support strategies that will help our lakes recover from the damage that has already been done to our lakes by huge water withdrawals and greatly support our lakes being put in a recovery and protective status as soon as possible. Every person in this community needs to stand up for our water rights before the lakes are beyond repair. Complete details about the TSR and JEA CUP, can be obtained from the Management District at SJRWMD.com.

The Alliance also has a petition to Governor Scott and the SJRWMD that is circulating on behalf of the community that objects to any large withdrawals or lowering of MFL’s and requests protection and recovery of the region’s threatened lakes. It is at the KH City Hall and will be at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday. Your signature on that petition is needed.

Jackie Host, President,
of the Lake Area Water Alliance