Spring Runs In Reverse!

White Sulfur Spring used to flow into the Suwannee River until the 80's, but now, the Suwannee River flows into the dried spring bed. Very sad.
Full article

Legal Rights for Mother Nature?

An interesting tactic to raise the legal status of the environment from property to a kind of personhood. Recognizing that the ecosystems around us are vital and have a role in legal decisions may be a tool to resolve ongoing resource dilemmas.
Full article

The Human Right to Water and Sanitation

Check out the recent World Water Forum report:
The World Water Forum and the Resistance Against the Corporate Takeover of Water

Water Hogs of Northeast Florida

Folio Weekly does an annual report on who the biggest water wasters are in the JEA region. It makes for some interesting reading, but keep your name off this list:
http://www.folioweekly.com/folio0313wkl013.php

Plea for Conservation & Watering Restrictions

Conservation of our water is more important than ever, and I am requesting your help.  Many of you have told me that you see people irrigating their yards at all times of the day and several days a week and don’t know what to do about it.  Some of you have even taken the extra step to try to educate your neighbors about water restrictions, and they pay you no heed.  I have heard people say that they think there is no way to enforce the restrictions mandated by the St. Johns River Water Management District.  This is not true as they do patrol the District and will go out to an address that is reported to be watering contrary to the mandated restrictions. 
All you have to do is report the address to the number below and here is what happens: 

1. A patrol goes out to the residence and tries to educate the folks that are reported about the restrictions and gives them a packet about water conservation.
2. Then they are in the District's computer, and they will be checked again infrequently.  If they are reported again or caught by the patrol, they will be given a warning.
3. If the party is reported or caught a third time, they can be slapped with a fine. 

Agricultural watering and hand watering are not covered by the landscape irrigation restrictions.  The report can be anonymous.

Nobody wants to be a snitch, but the fact of the matter is that people who wantonly waste water and will not do what they should do voluntarily need to be subjected to some kind of penalty.  They are stealing your water.  Not only are our lakes disappearing from the face of the earth, but we also have folks in our area on limited incomes who have had to pay over $5000 to have their pumps replaced and deeper wells dug because the aquifer is so low.  It does not matter if you live inside the city limits or in the country, if you live in the St. Johns River Water Management District you are bound by these rules.  If you live in the Suwannee District, please contact them and find out what recourse you have for water abusers. 

I realize some people ask why they should have to do anything when big industries are using so much water.  I say all the more reason to save every drop we can.  How can we ask them to reduce their use if we will not?  Charity starts at home, and we all have a straw in the aquifer.  Please observe the restrictions listed below and help educate others about them.  It is up to us to save the aquifer that supports all of the lakes, rivers, springs and wetlands of North Florida.  You can find other conservation tips on the SJRWMD website: http://www.sjrwmd.com/waterconservation/ .

Thank you,

Jackie Host, President

Lake Area Water Alliance

For more information, questions or to report violations, please call (800) 232-0904.

Watering Restrictions

Know Your Days

Mandatory lawn watering restrictions specify the days when you may water. These days depend on whether you have an odd or even numbered address, and the time of year.

ime of year    Homes with odd numbered or no addresses Homes with even numbered addresses      Nonresidential

Daylight saving time    Wednesday/Saturday      Thursday/Sunday Tuesday/Friday 

Eastern Standard Time   Saturday        Sunday  Tuesday

• Daylight saving time: Second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November
• Eastern Standard Time: First Sunday in November until the second Sunday in March
• An odd numbered address is one that ends in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9.
• An even numbered address is one that ends in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8.
• Water only when needed and not between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Water for no more than one hour per zone.
• Restrictions apply to private wells and pumps, ground or surface water and water from public and private utilities.
• Some exceptions apply. 

Successful Wastewater to Wetlands Program

"After more than a decade of demonstrated performance, the Orlando Easterly Wetlands reclamation project has proven to the world that large-scale, created wetlands can be used on a long-term basis - and with resounding success - for both the advanced treatment of wastewater and beneficial reuse."

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wastewater/dom/oreastwet.htm

Human Rights to Water Undermined

"Marseille—The 6^th World Water Forum this week, despite lagging attendance and Sarkozy reneging on his promise to attend, has still been an opportunity for multinational water corporations to solidify their plans to further privatize nature at Rio+20. Thanks to Canada’s successful effort to weaken language in the forum’s ministerial document regarding the human right to water, and as demonstrated by the banking industry’s plans to integrate water trading into futures markets and to create derivative water-based financial instruments, the privatization of water has accelerated dramatically, creating a setback for right to water as resolved by the UN.

"We have already seen the ‘casino of hunger’ created by speculation on commodity crops. The global food crisis that caused millions to starve was caused by a tidal wave of Wall Street speculation. Now the same economic interests are proposing the same type of financial mechanisms to create a ‘green economy,’ while the real agenda is creating a speculative market with the potential to create great wealth for the corporations and economic institutions promoting this strategy.

"'At the opening plenary of the Alternative World Water Forum, which drew approximately 5,000 attendees, the UN special rapporteur for the right to water and sanitation,' Catarina de Albuquerque, said, 'Be vigilant. The Marseille Ministerial Declaration is already being used at the Human Rights Council in Geneva to weaken these rights.'

Full article here.

SJRWMD Hydrological Reports

Some great visual aids in viewing the current and historical information about water, precipitation, etc.:
http://www.sjrwmd.com/hydroconditionsreport/

Aquifer Replenishment Pilot Project

Good article that clearly states the What and Why of the evaporation study being undertaken:
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-03-19/story/keystone-heights-lakes-dry-state-looks-solutions

Some additional related articles with factual details about the pilot project.

This a link to the briefing paper for the North Florida Aquifer Replenishment Initiative - December 2011:

http://www.floridaswater.com/minimumflowsandlevels/pdfs/PRSD/2011_12-20_meeting/NF_aquifer_paper.pdf

The following is a link to the St. Johns Governing Board agenda containing the pilot project - March 13, 2012:

http://www.sjrwmd.com/governingboard/agendas/2012/ag1203.html

This is a link to the details of the pilot project that was attached to the agenda - Revised March 12, 2012:

http://www.sjrwmd.com/governingboard/pdfs/2012/gb1203/gb1203_008.pdf

North Florida Aquifer Replenishment Initiative

The Pilot Plan is described in this agenda memo for a SJRWMD meeting:
http://www.sjrwmd.com/governingboard/pdfs/2012/gb1203/gb1203_008.pdf

Some further details regarding the North Florida Aquifer Replenishment Initiative and the Keystone Heights pilot test project:
http://floridaswater.com/facts/KeystoneHeights_pilot_project.html?utm_source=2012_March_13&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Water_News

Good News (for a change) About the Water!

Today the SJRWMD approved  a staff recommendation for the Executive Director to spend up to $500,000 for a pilot study that will send 1.2 mgd of water down Alligator Creek to Brooklyn Lake from a deep aquifer well that will be installed on Camp Blanding, probably just north of what is sometimes known as the South West Quadrant Pond.  The pilot study is a conveyance study and when the study is completed in a couple of years, most likely the well may be turned over to Camp Blanding as a fire prevention back up water source.  The SJRWMD emphasized the study is not to be confused with an augmentation of Lake Brooklyn for the sake of recovery.  Most scientists agree pumping from the aquifer to refill it makes no sense.  It is a conveyance study to determine water quality, evaporation loss, etc., in preparation for a long term aqua replenishment solution that will benefit the SRWMD and SJRWMD.  Water quality issues are a valid concern as radioactive materials have shown up in water from deep aquifer wells and none of us want to contaminate the entire chain of lakes by not doing essential water quality tests. 

Though the study is not for lake recovery, there are hydration factors that will benefit the lakes.  For example  Alligator Creek and the lake would hold more water if it rains, if the subsurface is already hydrated.  The study may put 2-4 ft. of water in part of Lake Brooklyn.  The Hydrologist hired by the City of Keystone Heights, Peter Schreuder, said this is a very good day for all of us as it is a step closer to implementing an aquifer replenishment project that will use the lakes as a natural rapid infiltration basin.  He has submitted several plans for implementation.  Our Alliance, Mayor Mary Lou Hildreth and others encouraged the Board to push forward as rapidly as possible with the study and solutions as we are getting reports that the lakes, springs, rivers and wetlands are drying up at an alarming rate all over North Florida.  We told them in two years without some serious rain the lakes may be beyond recovery and the aquifer depleted.

General consensus is that this is a win for the entire region of North Florida, because with a continuing drought and heavy withdrawals from the aquifer, putting “new water” which could be treated wastewater, storm water or other sources will probably be the only thing that saves it unless we have a rain of biblical proportion.

Tune in to the news on Channel 20 at 6:00  PM this evening as Mayor Hildreth was interviewed by the station directly after the Board Meeting.

Best wishes,  Jackie