PALATKA, Fla., May 9, 2012 -- Twelve representatives were named today to the North Florida Regional Water Supply Partnership's stakeholder committee, an advisory body that will share viewpoints of stakeholder groups with the St. Johns River and Suwannee River water management districts and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to help address the region's water supply issues.
Chosen to represent the groups, organizations and entities that have an interest in the region's water supply, committee members are:
- Public water supply: Ray O. Avery, Clay County Utility Authority; David Clanton, City of Lake City Utilities
- Commercial/power generation: Athena T. Mann, JEA; James Cornett, Cornett's Spirit of the Suwannee Inc.
- Industrial/mining: J. Michael O'Berry, Vulcan Materials Co.; Stan Posey, PCS Phosphate
- Agriculture: Kerry Kates, Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association; Thomas Harper, Harper Farms
- Environmental: Patrick T. Welsh, University of North Florida and Save Our Lakes; Jacqui Sulek, Audubon Florida
- Local government: Keystone Heights Mayor Mary Lou Hildreth; Dixie County Commissioner Gene Higginbotham
It is very clear from the hydrological maps supplied by the SJRWMD and other supporting documents that the aquifer has rebounded in the St. Mary, Georgia area because the paper that was operating there has shut down and quit pumping so much water from it. How can the SJRWMD continue to say pumping has no effect on our declining aquifer. Even with rain so much water is withdrawn from the aquifer by huge consumptive users it will probably never be able to fully recover. Meanwhile, sinkholes, lakes and springs, rivers and wetlands continue to be sucked dry because our aquifer is being depleted by these huge withdrawals and the management districts continue to fast track permits for more. It's a disgrace to Florida that we are allowing this to happen.
ReplyDeleteCorrection: In the note above it should have been... "the paper mill" that was operating....
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