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North And Central Florida Battle Over River Water

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The Associated Press

Published: January 14, 2008

JACKSONVILLE - North and Central Florida aren't feeling very neighborly as they battle over water from the St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers.

Central Florida plans to take millions of gallons of water a day out of the rivers to meet that area's exploding demand. That's angering north Florida residents and officials, who say that could cause grave environmental damage, particularly to the north-flowing St. Johns.

Jacksonville, St. Johns County, other cities and a river advocacy group say the plan would destroy the delicate balance of saltwater and fresh water needed to preserve critical biological habitat and submerged vegetation.

"It is madness. We do not believe there is surplus water in the river," said Neil Armingeon, the St. Johns riverkeeper. The position is a privately funded advocate for the river. "We are not going to stand by and let the St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers be degraded."

Breakneck Rate Of Growth

The plan was developed by the St. Johns River Water Management District after it determined that areas of Central Florida could reach their groundwater limits within five years and that by 2025 it will need 200 million gallons of water a day from alternative sources.

Blame the breakneck rate of growth in Central Florida, where water is being pumped out of the deep underground Floridan aquifer at a rate of a half-billion gallons a day. The seven counties of Central Florida had a population of about 3 million in 2000 and it's about 3.6 million today. It is expected to hit 5 million in 2030 and 7 million by 2050, according to figures from the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida.

The district says about 155 million gallons a day can safely be taken from the St. Johns River, a meandering 310-mile-long river that begins in Indian River County then travels north until it runs into the Atlantic Ocean near Mayport. It also says the Ocklawaha River can be tapped for an additional 90 million to 108 million gallons a day.

Withdrawing water from the rivers and treating it is less expensive than desalinating sea water, which could cost five times as much as getting water from wells, said Hal Wilkening, the water management district's department of resource management. The district is also pushing for reusing treated sewage water for irrigation.

Capturing The Water

Central Florida utilities already are designing plants to capture the river water, treat it and sell it to its customers.

Seminole County is planning to built an 80 million gallon per day regional facility for drinking water on behalf of 17 utilities, which serve parts of Orange, Lake and Volusia counties. The estimated cost is $400 million to $500 million. An earlier phase to treat water for use in irrigation and use 5 million gallons per day is about $50 million.

John Cirello, the county's director of environmental services, said he does not understand north Florida's opposition. "I think they are misled," he said.

But Armingeon argues the taking of millions of gallons a day could affect the salinity at the mouth of the river near Jacksonville. That's where tides from the Atlantic Ocean create a blend of fresh and salt waters to create an estuary for shrimp, oysters and crabs.

Janie Thomas, executive director of the Shrimp Producers Association, said an increase in salinity could destroy the state's East Coast shrimping industry.

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